On Wednesday, Eric Holcomb, Indiana’s Republican governor, signed a law that makes it illegal for any child to have surgery to change their gender. This summer, the rule will start to be strictly enforced.
Indiana is the 13th state to limit or outlaw access to hormone treatment for transgender kids. The new law starts on July 1, and transgender teens have until the end of 2023 to stop using hormone treatment.
The Associated Press reported that people who are against the move said that the kinds of care it bans, like hormone treatment and puberty blockers, are important and could save the lives of transgender children. Some doctors have said they are hopeful that patients can influence the results of their treatments.
But people who supported the bill said that the effects of the surgeries and drugs in question could not be undone. They also said that the patient, not the patient’s parents or guardians, should decide on any treatments or drugs that are needed.
The head of the American Principles Project, Terry Schilling, told the Washington Examiner, “Momentum keeps building to protect children from dangerous, experimental sex-change procedures.” “It’s too bad that we have to do these things. The transgender industry has given up on the Hippocratic Oath in favor of treating children who are confused about their gender as lifelong medical patients, even though these kids deserve real care and kindness. No amount of cutting or sterilizing them won’t let them change into the other species. This is a huge mistake by a doctor that needs to be punished harshly.
Also, Republican lawmakers have made it illegal for children to use gender-affirming procedures. But the medical staff in Indiana claimed that no genital surgery was done on children.
In addition to these four states, there are rules in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Utah, South Dakota, and West Virginia that limit or ban gender-affirming care.
Before Indiana, Idaho was the last state to make it illegal to give hormones, puberty blocks, or other gender-affirming treatments to children. Gov. Brad Little (R-ID) signed the bill into law. Late Tuesday night, Little signed the bill.
Little said when he signed the bill into law, “By signing this bill, I acknowledge that our society has a responsibility to protect minors from surgeries or treatments that can harm their bodies in a way that can’t be fixed.” “However, as policymakers, we should be very careful not to let the government get in the way of what loving parents decide is best for their children.”