By Maria Caspani
(Reuters) – Alabama lawmakers passed a bill on Thursday that would criminalize gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth, with a threat of 10 years in prison for medical providers.
The legislation, passed 66-28 by the state’s House of Representatives on the last day of the legislative session, now goes to Republican Governor Kay Ivey. It is the latest in a flurry of measures in Republican-led states aimed at transgender youth.
“This is not a partisan issue… this is an issue that deals with being (a) human being,” Democratic Representative Neil Rafferty told the chamber. “This is not small government, this is not a conservative bill.”
“We make decisions in this body all the time that are to protect children from making decisions that could permanently harm them,” Republican Representative Wes Allen said, citing how minors cannot get tattoos or buy nicotaine products.
Ivey has not said whether she will sign the bill, but last year she signed a bill banning transgender athletes from K-12 sports. Ivey’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The bill would make it a felony punishable with up to 10 years in prison to provide medical care including hormone treatment, puberty blockers and gender-affirming surgery to minors.
It would also compel school personnel to disclose to the parent or legal guardian that a “minor’s perception of his or her gender or sex is inconsistent with the minor’s sex.”
Last week, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed a bill banning irreversible gender reassignment surgery for minors.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said it would join several other civil rights organizations to challenge the legislation in court.
“Gender-affirming care is life-saving care,” the ACLU said in a Twitter statement. “Trans youth who want and receive gender-affirming care are more likely to thrive and less likely to contemplate suicide.”
There is wide agreement among mainstream medical and mental health professionals that gender-affirming care saves lives by reducing the risk of depression and suicide. Gender-affirming surgery for people under 18 is extremely rare and would take place only after years of treatment in cases where the patient’s wishes are unwavering, according to medical experts.
In the Senate, Alabama lawmakers passed a bill that would require multiple occupancy restrooms or changing areas in public K-12 schools to be used by students according to their biological sex. An amendment was attached to the bill, which now has to go back to the House for a vote, prohibiting classroom discussion on sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grades.
Transgender rights have emerged as one of the issues at the forefront in the culture wars ahead of the November mid-term congressional elections. Lawmakers have introduced hundreds of bills across state legislatures, the majority of them targeting trans youth.
Many Republicans and conservative activists promote the laws as safeguards for children and parental rights. Opponents, including Democrats and LGBTQ+ organizations, say the legislation is harmful, unnecessary and unfairly targeting vulnerable and underrepresented communities.
A poll https://www.thetrevorproject.org/blog/poll-majority-of-u-s-adults-oppose-anti-lgbtq-education-policies-agree-that-transgender-youth-should-have-access-to-gender-affirming-care released last month by The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and mental health organizations for LGBTQ+ youth, found that a majority of adults in the United States thinks that transgender minors should have access to certain types of gender-affirming medical care.
(Reporting by Maria Caspani; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
