House overwhelmingly passes gender-affirming care ban for children

TOPEKA (KSNT) – The Kansas House of Representatives has passed Senate Bill 233 supporting the ban on gender-affirming care for children.

The bill prevents minors from gender reassignment surgeries and treatments by passing the Help Not Harm Act. If it becomes law Kansas would join 22 other states in providing legal recourse for minors who were victimized, according to a press release from the Kansas House of Representatives.

The bill overwhelmingly passed 80-40 and will now go to the senate.

Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, House Majority Leader Chris Croft and Speaker Pro Tempore Blake Carpenter released the following joint statement:

“One of our jobs as legislators is to ensure the right protections are in place for the well-being of Kansas kids. There are numerous examples of this including age restrictions for the purchase of alcohol or cigarettes, gambling, and other practices that can lead to sustained, negative outcomes for vulnerable youth. Kids’ brains aren’t fully developed to the point they can make these life-altering decisions. These procedures have been found to lead to long-term consequences such as sterilization, permanent voice changes, and the increased risk of cardiovascular issues and osteoporosis.”

“For all of the time spent by this body discussing parental rights, SB 233 sure throws them to the wind,” House Democratic Leader Vic Miller said. “Not only does the Republican Party think they have the right to tell parents how to best raise their children, but they’re criminalizing health care workers during a time when we struggle to find enough doctors in the state for basic care. They’re hungry for control. They just can’t help themselves, as proven by the annual iterations of bills like this. Let parents parent and let health care workers provide care.”

Nexstar’s Kansas Capitol Bureau spoke with Democratic Governor Laura Kelly about the bill on Friday.

“This is not the first time they’ve passed that bill out… and I think you can look back in history and see how I’ve responded in the past, and I really haven’t changed my position,” Kelly said.

The governor has vetoed similar legislation in the past.

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