The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a case involving an Indiana couple who lost custody of their teenage son for refusing to accept his self-declared female identity. “The court‚ without comment‚ rejected an appeal from the teen’s parents‚ who had warned that cases similar to theirs are likely to reoccur ‘due to developing conflicts between parents and their children concerning gender identity‚'” USA Today reports. “With increasing frequency‚ governments run roughshod over parents’ religious beliefs on gender identity‚ including removing children from parents‚ favoring certain beliefs in divorce custody disputes‚ and preventing adoptions‚” the couple’s attorneys told the court in their appeal. “Mary and Jeremy Cox declined to use their son’s chosen name and pronouns‚ which sparked an investigation by Indiana officials‚” 100 Percent Fed Up previously noted. Catholic Couple Petitions Supreme Court After State Government Removed Son From Custody For Refusing To Accept Female Identity USA Today reports: The state said the parents‚ who are self-described devout Christians‚ lost custody not because of their views but because of the medical necessity of addressing the teen’s severe eating disorder. A provision of Indiana law that is similar to statutes in nearly every state allows government intervention in “a variety of situations in which even well-intentioned parent find themselves unable to prevent serious harm‚” the state told the court. Indiana also argued that the custody dispute is no longer relevant because the teen‚ who was 16 when removed from the home‚ is now an adult. In a statement following the Supreme Court's denial‚ Mary and Jeremy Cox referred to their child as "our son" and said losing custody of the teen "because of their beliefs will stay with us forever." "We can't change the past‚ but we will continue to fight for a future where parents of faith can raise their children without fear of state officials knocking on their doors‚" the Coxes said. "In 2021‚ the Indiana Department of Child Services investigated parents Mary and Jeremy Cox and later took their son after they refused to refer to him as a girl. He was then placed in a home that affirmed his gender identity. The parents have reportedly filed a petition to the Supreme Court asking for their case to be heard‚" Collin Rugg wrote last month. WATCH: NEW: Catholic Indiana couple appeals to Supreme Court after their child was taken from them after they refused to refer to him as his preferred pronouns. Utter insanity. In 2021‚ the Indiana Department of Child Services investigated parents Mary and Jeremy Cox and later took… pic.twitter.com/XsFRBKoadn — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 21‚ 2024 "A Catholic couple in Indiana asked the Supreme Court today to hold the state accountable for keeping their child out of their home. In M.C. and J.C. v. Indiana Department of Child Services‚ Indiana investigated Mary and Jeremy Cox because they would not refer to their son using pronouns and a name inconsistent with his biological sex. State courts allowed Indiana to keep the child from their home because of their disagreement with their child—motivated by their religious beliefs—about human sexuality. With the help of Becket and attorney Joshua Hershberger‚ the Coxes today filed their reply brief at the Supreme Court‚ asking the Justices to take their case‚" Becket Legal‚ who is representing the Coxes‚ wrote in a press release last month. BREAKING- US- DC: Today‚ without comment‚ the US Supreme Court rejected the appeal of Indiana parents who lost custody of their trans-identified teenager. Link follows. pic.twitter.com/MEAHwSg6mw — Genspect (@genspect) March 19‚ 2024 From Becket Legal: Mary and Jeremy Cox are a faithful Catholic couple living in Indiana. In 2019‚ their son informed them that he identified as a girl. Because of their religious belief that God creates human beings with immutable sex—male or female—they could not refer to him using pronouns and a name inconsistent with his biology. The Coxes also believed that he needed help for underlying mental health concerns‚ including an eating disorder. To address both issues‚ they provided therapeutic care for their child’s gender dysphoria and scheduled appointments with a specialist to help him with the eating disorder. In 2021‚ Indiana began investigating the Coxes after a report that they were not referring to their child by his preferred gender identity. Indiana then removed the teen from the parents’ custody and placed him in a home that would affirm his preferred identity. “This is what every parent is afraid of. We love our son and wanted to care for him‚ but the state of Indiana robbed us of that opportunity by taking him from our home and banning us from speaking to him about gender‚” said Mary and Jeremy Cox. “We are hopeful that the Justices will take our case and protect other parents from having to endure the nightmare we did.” At the initial trial court hearing‚ Indiana officials argued the child “should be in a home where she is [ac]cepted for who she is.” The court restricted the Coxes’ visitation time to a few hours once a week and barred them from speaking to their child about their religious views on human sexuality and gender identity. After completing its investigation‚ Indiana made an about-face and abandoned all allegations against Mary and Jeremy‚ admitting that the accusations of abuse were unsubstantiated. However‚ Indiana surprised the parents by arguing that the disagreement over gender identity was distressing to their child and contributed to his eating disorder—even though that disorder became worse after he was removed and placed in a transition-affirming home. The trial court relied on Indiana’s argument to keep the child out of his parents’ custody and keep the gag order in place. In short‚ even though the court agreed that the Coxes were fit parents‚ it upheld the removal of their child. An appeals court upheld the removal. "The Indiana Supreme Court declined to review the case‚" USA Today noted.