Tennessee Approves Bill Punishing Adults Who Help Minors Receive Gender-Affirming Care, Report Says

Topline

Tennessee lawmakers greenlit a bill criminalizing those who help minors receive gender-affirming care, according to the Associated Press, teeing up the legislation to become a first-of-its kind law.

The law will go to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for signature. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images

Key Facts

Adults helping minors who receive gender-affirming care without consent from parents will face punishment under the law, which covers violations such as directing minors to websites on where to find care or helping a minor travel to a different state with less restrictions on gender-affirming care, the Associated Press reported.

The law is expected to be signed by Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who approved Tennessee’s abortion ban and its ban on gender-affirming care for children.

Tennessee Republicans have said the statutes in the law are needed to protect parental rights while critics have pointed to the possible broad application of the statutes, according to the Associated Press.

Contra

Some health organizations such as the American Medical Association have argued gender-affirming care is necessary because transgender children are subject to high rates of depression and suicide.

Key Background

Tennessee has passed the most anti-LGTBQ+ laws in the U.S. since 2015 followed by Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota, according to the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care last July, allowing the state to bar minors from access to puberty blockers and gender-reassignment surgery. Transgender healthcare has faced significant opposition from states for more than a year, with more than 20 states passing bans or restrictions on gender-affirming services. Bans against gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers have also been adopted outside the U.S., with England barring access to the drug last month for those under the age of 18. Sweden has also pushed back against gender-affirming care. The country’s healthcare agency updated its guidelines preventing minors from accessing gender-affirming care, citing evidence for “hormonal interventions” for minors being low quality and that such treatments may include risks for children.

Further Reading

Judge Allows Georgia Ban On Gender-Affirming Care Access—Here Are The Other Trans Health Restrictions Facing Court Battles (Forbes)

Supreme Court Allows Idaho’s Gender-Affirming Care Ban — For Now (Forbes)

Vanderbilt Hospital Under Civil Rights Investigation Over Releasing Transgender Patient Records To Tennessee AG (Forbes)