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 judge has upheld a Missouri law that prohibits cosmetic sex-change surgeries and the prescribing of puberty-blocking drugs for minors with gender dysphoria.

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.

Missouri AG Bailey's court win makes Missouri the first state to uphold a law banning gender procedures and hormone treatments for minors.

Plaintiffs were challenging the block on gender-affirming health care, ahead of a US Supreme Court case next month.

A Missouri court on Monday upheld a state law banning gender-affirming health care for minors and prohibiting Medicaid from covering transition-related care, allowing the controversial law to remain in place following a nine-day trial in September.

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