Bill to prohibit gender affirming care advances through W.Va. Senate Health Committee

The bill would prohibit gender affirming care for minors.
Published: Mar. 5, 2023 at 10:43 PM EST
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WTAP) - A bill to prohibit certain medical treatments commonly referred to as gender affirming care for minors is making its way through the West Virginia legislature.

HB 2007 would ban minors suffering from gender dysphoria from receiving hormone therapy and puberty blockers. It would also ban gender reassignment surgery for minors, though there is no record of any minors ever receiving such treatments in the state of West Virginia.

Most recently, on March 2, the bill was advanced by the Senate Health and Human Resources committee with the recommendation that it do pass once it reaches the Senate floor.

The committee heard from Dr. Kacie Kidd, director of the WVU Medicine Children’s Gender & Sexual Development Clinic, who emphasized the therapeutic value of hormone treatments for minors who struggle with gender dysphoria. “17 studies to date demonstrate the positive impact of gender-affirming hormone and blocker therapy for transgender adolescents,” Dr. Kidd said. “Over and over, we see that when transgender youth receive the medical care they need, they’re able to thrive and have a happy, healthy adolescence that sets them up for success in life. I’m an expert in this research, and this is what the research tells us.”

Dr. Kidd said that children diagnosed with gender dysphoria have higher rates of suicide and depression than other children in West Virginia, and that she feared the impact losing access to treatment would have on her young patients.

The bill was debated within the committee for over an hour. Sen. Eric Tarr (R - Putnam) described the the treatments the bill would prohibit as “child abuse.” Sen. Tarr said even allowing hormone therapy and puberty blockers -- treatments that a release from the Office of Population Affairs of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services describe, respectively, as “partially reversible” and “reversible” respectively -- were steps toward condoning surgical operations on minors. “The fact is, that is the next step,” Tarr said. “And I don’t think we should give them a toe in the tent, let alone a next step.”

When asked directly whether her clinic performed surgery on minors or had any plans to do so, Dr. Kidd said they did not.

Sen. Tom Takubo (R - Kanawha), one of the few medical doctors on the committee and its vice chair, suggested three amendments that would have diminished the impact the bill would have on people currently undergoing hormone treatments for gender dysphoria. One suggested amendment would have had the bill ban only surgical treatment for minors, allowing hormone treatments and puberty blockers. Another would permitted treatment for minors over 16. A third would have added a grandfather clause, allowing those currently receiving medical care to continue their treatment while still prohibiting treatment for any new patients. All three amendments were voted down, and the bill was advanced in its current form.

HB 2007 will next be considered by the senate judiciary committee.