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New Jersey lawmakers considered legal protections for transgender patients and health care providers for the first time.
The state Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee voted 5-2 to advance a bill that would protect patients and providers who access or provide legally protected health care activities targeted in other states. The legislation specifically covers gender-affirming care and reproductive health care.
While the bill has cleared only one committee on a party-line vote, LGBTQ+ advocates scored a major milestone after lobbying for the legislation for the past two years.
Related: New Jersey Governor Declares State a 'Safe Haven' for Gender-Affirming Care
Related: Here are the states that have laws protecting abortion and gender-affirming care
New Jersey Sen. Teresa Ruiz, a Democrat, sponsored the bill and said it protects patients and physicians from prosecution for obtaining care.
“This bill is to protect healthcare. Not a political debate. Not a culture war talking point. Healthcare,” Ruiz said, according to the New Jersey Monitor.
Several transgender patients from across the Garden State testified about the need for protections as the Trump administration moves to curtail care for minors. “Never did I expect I would need to advocate for my own healthcare rights,” testified 15-year-old Luci Amato, who identifies as non-binary.
Related: The anti-trans legislation risk map: A state by state breakdown
Related: Federal prison inmates can get gender-affirming care as court blocks Trump order
They receive care at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which has spent months battling the Trump administration over demands for private medical records involving transgender youth.
The bill would codify protections that New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy established through a 2023 executive order declaring the state a “safe haven” for people seeking gender-affirming care. Lawmakers in a growing number of states have outlawed gender-affirming care for people under 18.
Related: New Jersey Democratic state Sen. Paul Sarlo calls trans women men and advocates for sports ban
A study by UCLA’s Williams Institute released in January reported 53% of transgender youth in the U.S. now live in a state where the laws or policies restrict access to gender-affirming care, sports, bathrooms and facilities, or the use of gender-affirming pronouns in schools. About 50% live in states restricting access specifically to gender-affirming health care.
Arkansas, Kansas, New Hampshire, and West Virginia all passed new restrictions in 2025 alone.
