Attorneys will debate whether a 2023 law banning gender-affirming treatment for anyone under 18 violates personal autonomy and equal protection rights under the state constitution.

A trial over North Dakota's ban on gender-affirming medical care for kids is happening, more than a year after families of transgender children and a doctor filed the suit that argued the law violates the state's constitution.

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Testimony continued Tuesday as plaintiffs seek to overturn North Dakota’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors.

In a huge victory for youth receiving gender-affirming care in North Dakota, a judge in the Peace Garden State yesterday denied the state's motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging its ban on this type of care.

Brittany Stewart, right, delivers the opening statement for the plaintiffs at the beginning of a trial over North Dakota’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors on Monday. Jess Braverman, another attorney for the plaintiffs, is shown at left.

The eight-day trial will consist of personal testimony from parents and children directly impacted and forced to travel to Minnesota to receive gender-affirming care.

A lawsuit against North Dakota's ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors is set to go to trial. The suit, brought by families and a doctor, alleges the law violates the state constitution. The trial will examine the law's impact and its constitutionality amid widespread opposition from medical groups.

The law, signed by former Gov. Doug Burgum in 2023, makes it a crime for health care professionals to provide gender-affirming treatment to anyone below age 18. The ban contains an exemption for adolescents who had been receiving treatment before it went into effect.