Idaho Senate passes ban on gender-affirming care for minors

Transgender youth in Idaho are one step away from being unable to obtain cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers or gender-confirmation surgery.

State senators passed a bill Monday afternoon 22-12 making it a felony for doctors to prescribe these medications, facing up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Gender-confirmation surgeries aren’t performed on minors in Idaho – something the legislation’s sponsors have admitted.

Six other states this year have adopted similar laws, which include Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, South Dakota, Tennessee and Utah.

“One of the hardest things we can do as a parent is to say no to our children and this legislation doesn’t say no. It says not yet,” said Sen. Lori Den Hartog (R-Meridian), one of the bill’s chief sponsors.