Attorney General Alan Wilson fights Biden-era rule that forces federal funds to pay for prison inmates’ transgender surgeries, hormones

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) — South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson joined a coalition of 24 state attorneys general in filing a friend-of-the-court brief opposing efforts to force the federal government to provide sex-change surgeries and cross-sex hormone treatments to prison inmates. 

"We cannot allow woke ideology passed down by activist judges or self-interest groups to dictate every aspect of our society,” said Attorney General Wilson. “Taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for policies that promote a radical agenda. These are matters that should be determined by the people and their elected leaders, not imposed through cultural or political pressure. The integrity of our institutions and the well-being of our communities must come before the divisive and costly agenda that undermines them." 

Attorney General Wilson argues that the allowance of this rule will set a dangerous precedent and urges the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to rule against it for the main reason that the Constitution grants policymakers the authority to determine whether to allow controversial and unproven medical interventions. Additionally, the Eighth Amendment does not prevent policymakers from making categorical decisions on disputed medical issues. 

Attorney General Wilson defends the constitutional authority of states to regulate medical treatment, especially controversial and experimental procedures, and affirms that inmates are not entitled to demand taxpayer-funded gender-transition surgeries. 

The brief emphasizes that medical policy decisions, especially when involving unresolved scientific debates and significant ethical concerns, are rightly left to the judgment of state lawmakers, not interest groups or activist judges. The brief also points to numerous studies showing serious risks associated with gender-transition procedures, including complications, regret, infertility, and elevated suicide rates.  

Attorney General Wilson joins the brief with Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.  

You can read the full brief here.