BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – A pediatric endocrinologist said one of his patients attempted suicide after learning North Dakota had criminalized gender-affirming care for minors.

A lawsuit seeking to strike down North Dakota's ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors will go to trial Monday, more than a year after families of transgender children and a doctor filed the suit that argued the law violates the state's constitution.

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.

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.

Testimony continued Tuesday as plaintiffs seek to overturn North Dakota’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Medical experts for the plaintiffs seek to explain the harmful repercussions that could affect minors affected by gender dysphoria and going through transgender health issues.

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.