The Alabama Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, which bans gender-affirming care, officially went into effect on Sunday.

The law, which was voted on in April, bans puberty blockers, hormones, medical procedures, or a combination of those, for transgender youth under 19. Violators can face 10 years in prison.

A federal judge is weighing whether to put a temporary hold on the law. A similar law in Arkansas was blocked in 2021.

“This is a complicated case that raises complex and important issues and consists of many hundreds of pages of briefing and exhibits,” U.S. District Judge Liles Burke said Friday.

“The Court has made very substantial progress toward crafting an opinion in this matter and expects to file the opinion by the end of this week, if not sooner,” Burke said.

Parents of transgender youth argue that the law will deprive children of medical care that is “safe, effective, and necessary” and that it violates their constitutional rights.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall argued that these medical treatments should be available only to adults because of the risks and uncertainty about the long-term consequences. This includes loss of sexual function or sterility that minors may regret as they get older.

“As we will show in this case, DOJ’s assertion that these treatments are ‘medically necessary’ is ideologically-driven disinformation. The science and common sense are on Alabama’s side. We will win this fight to protect our children,” Marshall said in an April statement.