Kansas GOP overrides governor’s veto to enact sweeping ban on all gender-affirming care for trans kids

Republican lawmakers in Kansas have pushed through one of the nation’s most extreme bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, overriding Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto to enact the legislation.

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The so-called “Help Not Harm Act” criminalizes essential medical care for transgender minors by barring doctors from providing care to transgender minors. The law not only blocks access to puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and transition-related surgeries for minors but also imposes harsh penalties on health care providers and limits state funds from supporting any form of transition care.

Related: Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly once again vetoes gender-affirming care ban for minors

The law also empowers individuals to sue health care providers who offer such care, mandates the revocation of medical licenses for violators, and even prohibits the use of state funds for psychological support for transgender youth, the Lawrence Journal-World reports.

Gender dysphoria is a recognized medical condition that causes extreme psychological distress and requires treatment.

The law prohibits doctors from treating minors whose gender identity does not align with their assigned sex at birth. It mandates the revocation of medical licenses for health care providers who offer gender-affirming care, defines such treatment as “unprofessional conduct,” and bars professional liability insurance from covering damages for providers found violating the law. Additionally, the measure allows individuals who received gender-affirming care as minors to sue providers for up to a decade after turning 18, while parents can also take legal action on their child’s behalf.

With a 31-9 vote in the state senate and an 84-35 vote in the state house, Republicans secured the two-thirds majority needed to override Kelly’s veto, joining a growing wave of GOP-led efforts to strip transgender youth of health care access. The move comes despite strong opposition from major medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, which affirm that gender-affirming care is medically necessary and can be life-saving.

With this latest attack on trans health care, Kansas joins a growing list of states imposing severe restrictions on gender-affirming care—continuing the relentless legislative assault on LGBTQ+ rights nationwide. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming care for minors before the end of the term this summer.