A Missouri judge upheld the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors Monday, a victory for opponents of the practice in a continuing nationwide battle over transgender issues.

A Missouri court on Monday upheld a new state law that bans some gender-affirming health care for minors, a victory for supporters of the ban as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a case on the issue next week.

Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Missouri, representing the families and organizations suing to challenge the ban, plan to appeal.

The judge also suggested that treating gender dysphoria could be a slippery slope to depriving the Missouri legislature of its ability to regulate drugs.

The evidence from trial showed that the medical ethics of gender dysphoria treatment for children and adolescents are entirely unsettled,’ the judge wrote.

The 2023 law was part of a nationwide push to regulate the lives of transgender people and has sparked fear in Missouri’s transgender community.