Senate Bill 514, introduced on Monday to the North Carolina State Senate by Sens. Ralph Hise, Warren Daniel, and Norman Sanderson, follows a nationwide trend. Recently, many states have been presenting bills that will limit treatments for transgender adolescents.
What We Know:
- The bill will prohibit doctors from doing certain procedures on anyone below the age of 21. This includes mastectomies, prescribing hormone therapies, and removing healthy body parts or tissues. If a healthcare provider violates the law, they may lose their medical license and have to pay fines up to $1,000 per occurrence.
- Furthermore, S.B. 514, or the Youth Health Protection Act, permits state employees to notify a parent if their child expresses “gender nonconformity.” They may also tell a child’s parent if the youth has a desire to be treated like the opposite sex. LGBTQ advocates fear this will forcefully bring many minors under the age of 21 out of the closet.
- The measure would also prohibit the state or any licensing boards from punishing people who provide therapy consistent with their conscience and religious beliefs.
- NBC News claims the proposal will not become a law, regardless of the GOP majority in the House and Senate. Last week, North Carolina Democrats released a legislative package to ensure LGBTQ citizens have greater legal protections. Officials asked to repeal that House Bill 2, or the “bathroom bill.” The action passed in 2016 was partially repealed a year after its passing. They also asked for North Carolina to ban conversion therapy practices. Sen. Natasha Marcus (D-N.C.) wants Republicans to support the message that children can avoid mental health issues in regards to conversion therapy or the attempt to change their gender identity. The Campaign for Southern Equality (CSE) backs the Democrats on this stance. They also reject the bill:
Executive director of the CSE, Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, stated: “Transgender youth have the best chance to thrive when they are supported and affirmed, not singled out and denied critical care that is backed by virtually every leading health authority.”
- S.B. 514 has a few contrasts from other states’ transgender laws. For example, it would classify adults between 18 and 21 as minors. Similar bills only consider anyone under 18 a minor. Also, an exception written in the Youth Health Protection Act allows for a “good-faith medical decision of a parent or guardian of a minor born with a medically verifiable genetic disorder of sexual development.”
S.B. 514 must pass in the General Assembly before signed by Gov. Roy Cooper (D-N.C.). If he approves the Youth Health Protection Act, it will be the first bill signed to ban such procedures. Recently, Arkansas attempted to pass a legislature to outlaw medical treatment and surgery for transgender minors under 18. However, Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AK) vetoed the bill.
