12 GOP lawmakers seek to ban gender-affirming care for NC minors
A dozen Republican state lawmakers are backing a bill that would ban gender-affirming medical procedures for minors in North Carolina.
House Bill 808, known as the Youth Health Protection Act, would prohibit health care providers from administering puberty blockers, even with a parent’s consent, and block the use of state funds for any gender transition-related medical care. It would also revoke the ability of minors to seek medical care without a parent's consent in certain cases, such as if they’re pregnant, need treatment for sexually transmitted infections or for help with addictions.
The House Health Committee is scheduled to consider the bill during its meeting on Tuesday at 10 a.m. House Bill 808 is one of several bills legislators have filed to curb the rights of transgender North Carolinians.
Representatives for Equality NC and the Campaign for Southern Equality, groups that advocate for transgender rights, issued a press release Monday calling the bill an “extreme overreach” that ignores the advice of medical professionals.
“North Carolina’s leading medical experts are demanding that lawmakers listen to their concerns, and accepted medical best practices, before rushing through this dangerous anti-LGBTQ+ agenda,” Allison Scott, of the Campaign for Southern Equality, said in a statement.
Sponsors of the bill didn’t immediately respond to an email request seeking comment.
