TOPEKA — On Wednesday, the Kansas Legislature voted to send a deeply entrenched act to the Governor’s desk. The bill, in Kansas, prohibits gender transition surgery, the use of puberty blockers, and the supply of different gender-affirming care by health professionals to people under the age of 18.
Before adopting Senate Bill 233, which was negotiated by three members of each chamber, the House and Senate engaged in individual discussions. The bill passed the House by a vote of 82 to 39, which fell two votes short of the required two-thirds majority to overturn a governor’s veto. In the Senate, the vote was 27-13, meeting the same criterion.
In the past, Governor Kelly has opposed the Legislature’s attempts to control the healthcare choices of individuals, whether related to pregnancy or gender transition. She has vetoed similar bills, including one that would have allowed transgender athletes to participate in sports based on their gender identity.
Most supporters of the legislation argued that minors undergoing gender transition before their brains fully develop are at risk of mental, physical, and developmental issues. They believe that medical interventions, including surgical procedures, constitute child abuse. Critics of the bill argue that it infringes on the autonomy of families and medical professionals and could lead to irreversible harm.
“We want to offer these children a chance to make this decision later on in their lives without causing harm,” said Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita.
The supermajority support for the bill, according to Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita Republican, reflects the strong position of Senate Republicans who believe that “radical transgender ideology and the medical treatment of minors is neither lawful nor encouraged in Kansas.”
As the mother of a transgender child, Overland Park Democratic Rep. Heather Meyer, center, expressed her profound disappointment with the Kansas Legislature’s acceptance of a bill forbidding gender-affirming healthcare for Kansans under the age of 18. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)“Quite a bit of duplicity,” I say.
Regarding the bill, House and Senate lawmakers amended the measure to allow children until December 31, 2024, to be gradually taken off puberty blockers, testosterone, estrogen, or other prescribed medications related to gender transition treatment. Some of these individuals may have been on these medications long-term.
According to Landwehr, the bill aims to prevent state funds from being used for drugs or surgeries to address a child’s “perception of sex or gender that is inconsistent with the child’s biological sex.” Gender confirmation surgeries have been performed at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Any person or entity receiving state funding to treat children with psychological conditions, including gender dysphoria, would be prohibited from advocating or supporting the use of medication or surgery as a form of treatment for children.
The governor could use violations of the law as grounds for requesting the revocation of a professional license. Additionally, medical professionals who perform prohibited treatments would be legally liable for their decisions for ten years after the patient turns 18, and their liability insurance would not cover such cases.
Rep. Heather Meyer, a transgender mother with a transgender child, struggled to find words to express her dismay at the Republican majority’s single-minded focus on excluding transgender youth. She found it astonishing that the majority of the Legislature largely ignored the testimony of transgender teenagers and their parents as she stood at the lectern in the House chamber.
“I come to this from both personal and professional experience. I’m tired of this debate,” Meyer said, pointing out the hypocrisy of lawmakers who champion parental rights only when it suits their political agenda. “With bills like this, you’re taking away their personal autonomy, their freedom to act as parents. The state becomes their nanny. There’s a lot of hypocrisy when it comes to laws involving transgender children and even adults.
“I’m trying to hold it together,” she said. “You need to understand how horrifying and incredibly horrific it is to watch this unfold in your state.”
“Kansas children will die.”
Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes of Lenexa accused Republican legislative leadership of violating Kansans’ right to choose the best healthcare option. She argued that parents and children in Kansas would suffer if their choices were sacrificed for political gain.
“Kansas children will die if this becomes law,” Sykes said. “Their decision to ban medically necessary, safe, effective healthcare will cost Kansas kids their lives.”
Sen. Beverly Gossage, the Republican senator from Kansas and chair of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, asserted that a widespread social media campaign promoting gender transition had influenced the nation’s youth. She claimed that individuals who regretted living as a different gender would have testified before the Legislature about their regrets but were legitimately afraid of facing public harassment or dismissal.
Shawnee Democratic Rep. Susan Ruiz and Democratic Rep. Clarke Sanders said opponents of legislation targeting transgender individuals seemed to be attempting to convince specific families to relocate to another state.
“Perhaps that’s the intention,” she said. “Maybe many in this room don’t really care. Maybe that’s what you want. This bill will impact many people.”
Sanders responded to suggestions that supporters of the legislation acted out of hatred for those different from themselves. He argued that every legislator’s goal should be to discover the truth about complex public policy issues and make the best decision possible given the circumstances.
“I hope that if what I believe to be true differs from what you believe is true, you don’t think that I’m acting out of some hateful motive. I am not,” he said.
