Re: Opposition to HB9874 Criminalizing Gender-Affirming Healthcare for Transgender Youth This proposed legislation, HB9874, poses a grave threat to the well-being and rights of transgender youth. Denying access to gender-affirming care for those under 18 goes against established medical guidelines and violates their right to essential healthcare. Numerous major medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, have unequivocally endorsed gender-affirming care as safe, effective, and medically necessary treatment for transgender youth. Withholding puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgeries from transgender minors can cause severe psychological distress, exacerbate gender dysphoria, and increase risks of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. This legislation disregards scientific consensus and the expertise of medical professionals. Moreover, criminalizing healthcare providers who offer this vital care and threatening them with lengthy prison sentences is an unconscionable overreach that will only discourage competent professionals from practicing in the state. Public funding should support, not restrict, access to evidence-based care that promotes the health and well-being of all youth, including those who are transgender. I strongly urge you to reconsider this harmful legislation, HB9874, which directly contravenes widely accepted medical standards and violates the fundamental rights of transgender minors to access essential healthcare services. Protecting the welfare of all children and youth should be the paramount concern.
