BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Following suit with other Republican-controlled statehouses in the country, lawmakers in the Louisiana House passed a bill Tuesday that would ban gender-affirming medical care to minors, advancing the legislation to the Senate for further debate.
The bill would prohibit doctors from performing “gender transition procedures” — such as hormone treatments, gender reassignment surgery or puberty-blocking drugs — on anyone under the age of 18 who is seeking treatment to “alter” their sex assigned at birth. The measure, which also establishes penalties for health professionals who provide such care, passed 71-24 mainly along party lines.
Proponents of the bill say it will protect children from life-altering medical procedures until they are “mature enough” to make such serious decisions. Opponents argue gender-affirming care, which is supported by numerous major medical organizations, can be life-saving for someone with gender dysphoria — distress over gender identity that doesn’t match a person’s assigned sex.
