A key case linked to transgender rights in the United States was declined by the Supreme Court for consideration, leaving in place a lower court decision against a Catholic hospital that would not allow a transgender man to have a hysterectomy there.

The case, on Monday, was deflected by the United States high court without any comment on the matter. However, three conservative justices — Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas– said that they would have taken the case up, according to reports from Associated Press.

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The Mercy San Juan Medical Center, which is located in California’s Sacramento, said that the procedure violated the ethical and religious principles of the hospital, which declined to allow the procedure to be performed. The medical center described the procedure as “elective sterilization.”

Evan Minton, a key subject in the case, got the surgery three days later at a different hospital. He sued under a California law that bars discrimination.

A trial court agreed with the hospital that a three-day delay in the procedure did not involve a denial of “full and equal” access to health care under California law. An appeals court reversed that decision.

The high court’s decision not to step in is the latest win recently for transgender rights groups at the court. In June, the justices declined to weigh in on a different case involving transgender rights, according to reports from Associated Press.

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In that case, the justices rejected a Virginia school board’s appeal to reinstate its transgender bathroom ban. The overturning of the ban came after a legal battle — fought by transgender rights groups and a former high school student– that lasted for nearly six years.

In 2020, the high court ruled that a landmark civil rights law protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment. The 6-3 decision was a resounding victory for LGBT rights from a conservative court.  

(With AP inputs)