Montana Governor has passed a new law banning gender-affirming medical care for minors, which restricts transition care for under-aged transgenders, following other states in the United States (US).
The new law, which prohibits gender transition care for trans aged under 18, passes following the removal of transgender lawmaker Rep. Zooey Zephyr, a Democrat, from the House floor.
Montana Bans Gender-Affirming Care for Minors
According to The New York Times, the Republican governor of Montana, Greg Gianforte, signed the bill into law on Friday, Apr. 28, prohibiting trans below 18 from pursuing gender transition treatments or surgeries before hitting their legal age.
The new law, which now prohibits trans people below 18 years old from pursuing gender transition surgeries or hormonal treatment, makes Montana the latest state in the country to adopt such a measure.
PBS points out that Montana is the 15th state to ban gender-affirming medical care for young ages. Such measures have triggered a widespread backlash from the community of trans youth in various states in the US, arguing that they consider caring for their transition essential.
Parents have also stood up for their children, saying that the ban conflicts with the right to provide medical care for their youngsters.
The recently passed law prohibits health professionals from extending medical care to minor transgenders. If they do otherwise, they will lose their medical license for 12 months or a year. On top of that, they might face a lawsuit if their patient encounters emotional, physical, psychological, or even physiological harm.
And besides medical practitioners, the ban also expands to public properties and its employees, which forbids them from hosting a treatment or surgery for gender transition.
Removal of Transgender Lawmaker
While other states have passed similar measures, the bill passage in Montana drew national controversy.
The controversial bill was signed into law by Republican Governor Greg Gianforte after a debate that drew widespread attention throughout the country. It removed a transgender lawmaker from the House floor.
The New York Times notes Representative Zephyr warned her colleagues in a passionate speech on the House floor that the passage of the ban would put "blood on your hands." Furthermore, the Democrat trans lawmaker considers the prohibition of gender-affirming medical care as "torture."
And from there, the House, which Republicans primarily control, removed her from the House floor. House Speaker Matt Regier has blocked Zephyr from speaking until she apologizes to them.
Meanwhile, NBC News reports the Montana governor is also planning to expand the state ban on TikTok, hinting that he wants also to include other social media platforms in the bill. His proposal seeks to ban social networking services that provide users' data to "foreign adversaries."
Related Article : Montana House to Vote on Disciplinary Action Against Transgender Lawmaker for Protest
