BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho House on Tuesday voted to prohibit gender reassignment surgeries and gender-affirming health care such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors.
The House voted 55-13 with no Democratic support to send the measure to the Senate.
“This bill is about protecting children, which is a legitimate state interest,” said Republican Rep. Bruce Skaug, the bill’s sponsor. “We need to stop sterilizing and mutilating children under the age of 18.”
Opponents said the measure is government intrusion into agonizing family decisions that will result in some young people attempting suicide if they can’t get the treatment they need.
“Over half of trans kids have seriously contemplated suicide,” said Democratic House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, noting talk therapy doesn’t work for some. “The only thing that will work for them is medical procedures.”
If the measure becomes law, it’s widely expected to be challenged in federal court as a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause that prohibits states from focusing on individuals without a legitimate governmental objective.
The American Medical Association last year urged state governments to stay out of prohibiting what it called medically necessary gender transition-related care for minor patients.
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