In a swift effort by Republican lawmakers across the country, 10 states in the past three months have passed laws banning what is known as gender-affirming care for young people.
The law prohibits or severely limits the use of puberty blockers, heterosexual sex hormones, and sex reassignment surgery for people under the age of 18. Last week, Indiana and Idaho became the latest states to pass bans.
By this year, only three state legislatures had enacted full or partial bans. In addition to the 10 bills signed into law, at least one of the seven additional state legislatures passed a ban heading into enactment this year.
The Florida Medical Board also issued a rule last year A law that prohibits physicians from providing gender-affirming treatment to new patients under the age of 18. Although not a law, this decree has the same effect as terminating treatment.
Two more state legislatures Oklahoma and south carolinasuccessfully persuaded major hospitals to stop providing gender-affirming care to minors by linking care to the use of public funds.
And the Missouri Attorney General announced Thursday temporary order It severely limits gender-affirming care for both adults and minors by mandating strict requirements that include 3 years of evidence of gender dysphoria documented by a physician. It will come into effect on April 27th.
These state-level actions are part of a wider wave. anti-trans law It was proposed and passed across the United States.And hospitals face serious problems harassment For providing gender-affirming care over the past few years.
Republican state legislators have called gender-affirming care experimental and harmful, saying children are not mature enough to make permanent decisions.
However, major US medical institutions support this care. Opponents of the ban also argue that it violates the rights of young people, parents and doctors, and poses serious mental health risks to vulnerable people.
ACLU in Indiana filed a lawsuit On April 5, the law was enacted after the governor signed a ban on gender-affirming care.family has sued in Florida; and proponents in other states have indicated intent to sue. A court injunction temporarily suspended a ban passed in the past few years. Alabama and Arkansas.
Some states allow teenagers already taking medications for gender dysphoria to continue treatment indefinitely or to taper off until a set cutoff date. In states that do, minors taking puberty blockers or sex hormones must travel to another state or stop treatment altogether.
All 10 bills passed so far this year allow hormone therapy and genital surgery for reasons other than gender reassignment. For example, surgery for children with ambiguous gender characteristics and puberty blockers for children with premature puberty.
There is ongoing research in the United States and Europe. risk Benefits of gender-affirming care for young people.but American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association urged It says not to interfere or limit care, pointing to evidence to suggest that making this care accessible to adolescents can reduce their risk of depression and suicide. Parental consent is also required in states where minors can receive hormone therapy.
Some Doctors Expressing Concern how and when Adolescents should receive gender-affirming care. open letter We voted against the ban last month.
“There is a consensus in the field and among these signatories that gender-affirming medicine is important and beneficial for many transgender youth,” the letter said.
The bill passed the Republican-dominated Congress and was signed into law by the Republican governors of nine states in the previous Congress. In Kentucky, Republicans have voided the election of a Democratic governor. rejection.
“By signing this bill, we recognize our society’s role in protecting minors from surgeries and treatments that can irreversibly damage their healthy bodies,” said Brad. Governor Little said. I have written About signing the Idaho ban last week.
Some prohibitions contain serious exceptions. An Arizona ban passed last year only bans rare surgeries among transgender teenagers. Georgia law prohibits sex reassignment hormones and surgery, but not puberty blockers. If two providers agree that treatment is necessary to “limit,” treatment may continue.
The amendments were proposed by Republican Senate Majority Leader Tom Takubo, who said in a floor address last month that gender equality was not an option for some teens with gender dysphoria. Affirmative medicine has great benefits for mental health.
who is affected
Of the approximately 300,000 people nationwide, there are approximately 53,000 transgender young people in states where some or all gender-affirming care is prohibited, according to the WHO. Estimate From the Williams Institute.
Many of the major gender clinics in the Midwest and South typically treat only 100 to 200 adolescents, and not all receive hormone therapy. Estimate Thousands of young transgender people across the country are taking puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, according to Reuters.
Providers expect the bans and closures to put pressure on states where gender-affirming care remains legal. There is a waiting list of She fears the list will grow as patients from nearby states seek treatment.
“As it stands, there are huge gaps in access to care for transgender youth across the central and southern parts of the country,” she said. Children who are malnourished will have to cross state lines.”
For families who can’t afford to travel so much, “their children can’t get care,” she said.
When Alabama’s ban was first passed last spring, the University of Alabama at Birmingham prepared to send patients to neighboring states. The court has since suspended part of the law banning gender-affirming medications.
“Some of our neighbors called us back last May,” said Hussein Abdul Latif, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University Hospital System.
future ban
Legislators in more than 10 states are considering banning or limiting gender-affirming care. But many of these states, at least he has Democrats in one House, or have Democratic governors, which severely limits the potential for legislation.
Republicans in Kansas passed a bill banning gender-affirming health care, but Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is expected to veto it, and support for the bill has so far been vetoed. has not reached a majority that can claimWyoming Republican Attempt to Pass Similar Bill died in parliament this year.
several other Republican-controlled states, notably Texas and Oklahomaif passed by at least one legislative body; last yearTexas Declared Providing Gender-Affirming Care Child Abuse, But Court Partially Decided I was blocked State from investigating the family. Youth in the state can still receive some care, but it’s not clear how many providers have stopped providing services.
In Nebraska, Democrats call legislative session Stop By filibustering the state’s proposed ban, but the law made advance recently.
Also, bills banning healthcare in Montana and North Dakota were sent to the Republican governors of those states.
In South Carolina, the bill has clear support: More than half of state senators co-sponsor one Introduced ban. North Carolina has a Democratic Governor Roy Cooper and a Republican Roy Cooper. introduced a ban Last week — the same day they won the veto majority.
