Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed legislation on Monday, May 1, that prohibits providing minors with gender-affirming health treatment, making it a crime for medical practitioners to do so.
To assist a person in adjusting their emotional and biological characteristics to fit the gender they identify with, rather than the one they were assigned at birth, gender-affirming treatment is described as medically required, evidence-based care delivered via a multidisciplinary approach.
Outlawing Sex Reassignment for Minors
Senate Bill 613, signed on Monday, May 1, forbids doctors and other medical staff from performing gender confirmation surgery, prescribing puberty-delaying drugs, or administering hormone therapy to minors. Any medical professional found guilty of breaking the new rule might face serious criminal penalties.
According to Fox News, those who break this law risk having their medical licenses revoked and being sued in civil court by a parent or legal guardian.
The emergency provision makes the ban effective immediately, with certain exceptions for kids already in treatment.
With the Republican governor's blessing, Oklahoma becomes the most recent state to try to limit transgender minors' access to such health care services.
In a press statement released on Monday, the state's Republican governor said he is thrilled to sign this bill into law today. "We cannot turn a blind eye to what's happening across our nation, and as governor, I am proud to stand up for what's right and ban life-altering transition surgeries on children in the state of Oklahoma," he added.
Politicizing Gender-Affirming Care on Youth
The availability of gender-affirming care for transgender youth has become a political flashpoint in many conservative states, CNN remarked.
Despite the fact that treatment is tailored to each kid, some families may choose to have their children undergo reversible puberty suppression therapy. Hormone treatment, which may result in physically confirming transition, may be used at this stage.
Yet, surgical interventions are not routinely performed on children, and many medical professionals refuse to perform them for minors.
Some Republicans are worried about the treatments' long-term effects. The American Psychiatric Association, however, states that gender-affirming treatment is clinically acceptable for young children and adults with gender dysphoria, which is a kind of psychological suffering that may occur when a person's gender identity and sex assigned at birth do not coincide.
Intention to Litigate the Ban
Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the ACLU of Oklahoma have all previously stated their intention to challenge the restriction in court in order to protect transgender youth's constitutional rights.
In a joint statement released last week, the groups said, "Transgender youth in Oklahoma deserve the support and care necessary to give them the same chance to thrive as their peers. Gender-affirming care is a critical part of helping transgender adolescents succeed, establish healthy relationships with their friends and family, live authentically as themselves, and dream about their futures."
