Idaho House passes ban on gender-affirming medical care
BOISE, Idaho — A bill criminalizing gender-affirming health care for minors overwhelmingly passed the Idaho House Thursday, despite warnings from opponents who said it would likely increase suicide rates among teens.
BOISE, Idaho — A bill criminalizing gender-affirming health care for minors overwhelmingly passed the Idaho House Thursday, despite warnings from opponents who said it would likely increase suicide rates among teens.
The bill, which would subject physicians to felony charges if they provide puberty blockers, hormone treatment or gender-affirming surgeries to transgender youth under 18, is just one of several targeting Idaho’s LGBTQ residents this year. Proponents of the bill have acknowledged that gender-affirming surgeries on minors are not currently being performed in Idaho.
Rep. Bruce Skaug, a Republican from Nampa, said the legislation was needed to “protect children,” and that puberty blockers and hormone treatment could cause permanent harm. But every major medical organization, including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and American Psychiatric Association support gender-affirming care for youth. Many of those organizations have also issued policy statements opposing legislative attempts to limit such care.
Republican lawmakers in more than two dozen states have pushed for bans on gender-affirming care this year, targeting what doctors and psychologists widely consider medically necessary care.
The bill in Idaho passed on a near party-line vote, with only one Republican voting no. Rep. Matthew Bundy, of Mountain Home, said he voted against it because it did not include a strong enough guarantee that transgender kids and their families would still have access to counseling.
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