Indiana’s Governor, Eric Holcomb, has signed a new bill that prohibits gender-transition mutilation treatment for minors, joining 12 other states that have introduced similar restrictions. With the majority of the Legislature being Republican, the bill was approved and will become effective on July 1st. Youth who are currently subjected to the practice will have until the end of 2022 to stop.
Holcomb reportedly seemed indecisive initially but has since stated that permanent gender-changing surgeries and medically prescribed preparation for transition should occur only as adults and not minors. In an effort to promote such barbaric treatments, the Associated Press pointed out that medical providers argue that most of the procedures that the bill seeks to ban, such as hormone therapies and puberty blockers, are completely reversible and safe for minors. This is of course an abject lie. It also noted that many major medical associations in the United States have endorsed transgender medical treatments for children and teenagers for over a decade now.
Opponents of the bill argue that the banning of these types of care is often life-saving for teenagers and critical to their growth. They claim that this legislation would have devastating impacts on transgender youth. The ACLU of Indiana called Holcomb’s decision a “blatant” disregard of parental rights and intends to overturn the law as it is unconstitutional. Supporters, however, maintain that consent to such efforts should only be given by an adult due to potential irreversibility or side effects.
Lawmakers voted to outlaw gender-transition surgeries for minors in Indiana, but medical facility representatives have claimed that doctors don’t provide genital surgeries or offer surgery referrals for minors. Federal judges have blocked the enforcement of similar bans in Arkansas and Alabama while around twenty-three other states are contemplating introducing bills restricting or banning gender-affirming care this year. On Tuesday, the Republican Governor of Idaho, Brad Little, signed a bill criminalizing gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.
