Marjorie Taylor Greene introduces law banning gender affirming care for minors

U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene speaking with attendees at the 2022 Student Action Summit at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has introduced a bill that would make providing gender affirming care for transgender minors a class C felony, ban federal funds—including Medicaid funds—from being used for gender affirming care for transgender people, ban medical schools from teaching about gender affirming care, stop health care plans under the Affordable Care Act from funding gender affirming care, and ban anyone found to have performed gender affirming care from immigrating to the U.S.

Called the “Protect Children’s Innocence Act,” Greene’s bill lists a number of procedures that aren’t performed on minors, including “castration,” “vasectomy,” “any plastic surgery that feminizes or masculinizes the facial features,” and “any placement of fat or artificial implants in the gluteal region.”

While gender affirming surgery is not performed on minors, the bill also bans puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Puberty blockers are used in the treatment of transgender youth to hold off the permanent changes of puberty so that young people have more time to understand their gender identities better. The reversible medications have been shown to significantly reduce lifelong suicide risk among transgender people. The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, and other major medical/mental health organizations all support gender-affirming care for pubescent youth when appropriate.

While these procedures would be banned when performed on transgender patients, the bill makes it clear that doctors are still free to operate on…

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