“Do No Harm”
BOISE — After emotional debate, the House voted on a near-party-line vote Tuesday to pass a bill that would make it a felony to provide most transgender treatment to youth younger than 18.
Rep. Matt Bundy, R-Mountain Home, was the only Republican to vote against the measure.
HB 71’s sponsor, Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, said the legislation is “about protecting children.” The bill’s opponents said it would harm transgender children by preventing them from receiving treatment that’s recommended by many major medical associations.
Skaug argued common treatments for gender dysphoria — including sex reassignment surgery, puberty blockers and hormone therapy — could sterilize adolescents if used for long periods of time.
“Why would we allow them, in this tender state of mind that is under 18, to make decisions on having healthy body organs removed? And really a lot of this is based on what the child’s feelings and thoughts are that are going forward on these procedures,” Skaug said. “That’s the wrong way to approach it scientifically.”
Skaug passed similar legislation through the House last year by a similar margin, but it died in the Senate.