House and Senate Republicans are rallying behind new legislation that seeks to outlaw gender transition treatment for minors nationwide.
The bills, spearheaded by Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) and Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), are gaining traction among conservatives who argue that such treatments should be prohibited in order to protect children from butchery and irreversable surgeries.
"This is absolutely necessary to protect our kids from the ghouls that would do this."@RepLaMalfa on the Protecting Children from Experimentation Act and the End Taxpayer Funding of Gender Experimentation Act.
Full interview: https://t.co/9eBvLjU8xd pic.twitter.com/FjQi6t5GcN
— Tony Perkins (@tperkins) May 15, 2023
Rep. LaMalfa and Sen. Marshall have also introduced a separate bill that aims to ban the use of taxpayer funds for transition treatment.
The lawmakers contend that these bills are necessary to safeguard the well-being of children and respect the conscience of the nation, especially in light of what is a growing trend to normalize early and aggressive gender transition procedures for minors.
Evidence continues to show the damaging effects of 'gender transitioning' medications and procedures on children.
Introduced the End Taxpayer Funding of Gender Experimentation Act with Senator @RogerMarshallMD
https://t.co/HviAuH7cWb— Senator Marco Rubio (@SenMarcoRubio) May 17, 2023
LaMalfa emphasized the vulnerability of children, asserting that they are being exposed to radical gender transition ideologies and coerced into irreversible medical interventions.
He emphasized that minors should not be making permanent decisions regarding their gender identity, and adults should refrain from pressuring them into such choices. LaMalfa advocated for allowing children to be children and deferring major decisions until they reach adulthood.
Marshall echoed these concerns, highlighting the potential harm and long-term health risks associated with gender transition procedures.
He stressed the need to protect children and ensure that American taxpayers are not financially supporting these potentially dangerous treatments.
The first bill proposed by the lawmakers, known as the Protecting Children from Experimentation Act, seeks to prohibit all gender transition procedures for individuals under the age of 18. Violating this prohibition could result in fines and a maximum prison term of five years for doctors who knowingly perform such treatments on minors.
Additionally, the bill enables minors to take legal action against doctors who provide them with transition-related treatment.
The bill defines transition-related treatment as any surgery that alters or removes part of a minor’s physical anatomy, as well as the use of drugs related to gender transitioning, including puberty-blocking drugs and cross-sex hormones.
The lawmakers’ second bill seeks to ban the use of federal funds for gender transition treatment on minors.
Both bills include exceptions for cases involving minors with medically verifiable disorders of sex development, including individuals with biologically ambiguous external sexual characteristics.
Exceptions also exist for individuals undergoing treatment for complications resulting from previous gender transition procedures.
Rep. LaMalfa is actively promoting awareness of the bills in the House and is collaborating with the House Anti-Woke Caucus to organize a briefing with medical experts.
The bills have garnered significant support among House Republicans, with over 30 GOP lawmakers sponsoring each of Rep. LaMalfa’s bills. Sen. Marshall’s bill to prohibit taxpayer-funded gender procedures has 11 cosponsors, while his bill to ban all procedures nationwide has seven cosponsors.
