BOISE, Idaho – The American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho has filed a lawsuit against the state after it passed a law prohibiting taxpayer dollars from being used for gender-affirming health care.

Idaho's ACLU says House Bill 668which prohibits the use of public funds to confirm care violates the right of citizens in the custody of the State Penitentiary Authority to access health care.

Incarcerated people rely on public funds for their health care because the Department of Justice is a government-run institution. Under new health restrictions that took effect on July 1, transgender people living in government custody could lose access to hormone therapy.

“As a result of … HB 668 … medical personnel employed by IDOC … have notified some plaintiffs that their hormone replacement therapy will be terminated or their dosage will be reduced in preparation for the effective date of HB 668 on July 1, 2024,” the ACLU filing states.

The ACLU's lawsuit represents three transgender women, all of whom lost access to health care that had previously been approved for them by their doctors, according to court documents.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R), Attorney General Raúl Labrador (R) and Department of Corrections Director Josh Tewalt are named as defendants in the lawsuit. None of them had commented publicly on the lawsuit as of Wednesday afternoon.

The lawsuit comes after the US Supreme Court Idaho was allowed to ban gender reassignment care for people under 18 In April.

According to the national ACLU, 527 anti-trans laws were examined by the state parliaments in 2024.