House Passes Controversial Bill Criminalizing Gender Transition Care for Minors
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a closely contested 216-211 vote on Wednesday, the House of Representatives approved a bill that would criminalize gender transition treatments for minors, igniting a fierce debate over the rights of transgender youth and parental authority. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), garnered some bipartisan backing, including support from a handful of Democrats, but faces significant challenges ahead in the Senate.
The bill’s passage marks a significant development in the ongoing national discourse surrounding transgender health care for minors. Greene, a vocal critic of gender transition treatments, framed the measure as a necessary protection for children. “Children are NOT experiments. No more drugs. No more surgeries. No more permanent harm,” Greene wrote on X prior to the vote. “We need to let kids grow up without manipulation from adults to make life-altering decisions! Congress must protect America’s children!!!”
Among the Democrats who crossed party lines to support the bill were Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, and Don Davis of North Carolina. Conversely, four Republicans—Mike Lawler (N.Y.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Gabe Evans (Colo.), and Mike Kennedy (Utah)—voted against the measure alongside most Democrats.
Greene secured the bill’s floor consideration through a deal with House leadership, agreeing to back a procedural rule advancing the National Defense Authorization Act last week. Despite clearing the House, the bill’s prospects in the Senate remain uncertain, as Republicans would require Democratic votes to pass the legislation.
The American Civil Liberties Union strongly condemned the bill’s passage, warning of its immediate and harmful effects on transgender youth and their families nationwide. Mike Zamore, the ACLU’s national director of policy and government affairs, stated, “Politicians should never prohibit parents from doing what is best for their transgender children. These families often spend years considering how best to support their children, only to have ill-equipped politicians interfere by attempting to criminalize the health care that they, their children, and their doctors believe is necessary to allow their children to thrive.”
Zamore further cautioned that the bill sets a dangerous precedent by criminalizing medical care based on ideology and inserting federal lawmakers between families and healthcare providers. He urged Senate members to prevent the legislation from becoming law.
The bill’s passage comes amid heightened national attention on transgender rights, with various states enacting laws regulating or restricting gender-affirming care for minors. The debate often centers on medical ethics, parental rights, and the role of government in personal health decisions.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a fellow Republican, reportedly clashed with Greene over aspects of the bill, highlighting divisions even within the party. The controversy underscores the complex and evolving landscape of transgender healthcare policy.
As the bill moves to the Senate, advocacy groups from both sides are mobilizing to influence the outcome. The Department of Health and Human Services continues to emphasize evidence-based medical guidelines, while organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention monitor health impacts related to transgender youth.
The House vote reflects a broader national conversation about the intersection of healthcare, identity, and legislative authority, with profound implications for transgender minors and their families across the United States.
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