Washington State has entered the chat. A bill that would ban all gender affirming care for minors (HB 1214) has been introduced in the Washington State House.
This bill would:
- prohibit gender affirming care for anyone under age 18
- prohibit the use of public funds for gender affirming care for minors
- prohibit referrals for gender affirming care for youth
- allows an individual who has received gender affirming care before the age of 18 to sue for malpractice until age 38
- would make providing care a Class C felony
- allows care for individuals with Differences of Sexual Development (DSDs)
Fight Back Against HB 1214
This bill is headed to the Health Care & Wellness committee.
Email Representative Marcus Riccelli (D) and ask him not to hold a hearing in committee for this bill. If the bill is never heard in committee, it can never go to the House floor for a vote.
You can contact Rep. Riccelli via his WA State Legislature contact page.
Please do this by February 17, 2023.
What Should I Say About HB 1214?
Tips for effective letters to legislators:
- explain how you are connected to the question at hand
- remain calm and factual
- state your request (as committee chair, please do not hold a hearing on HB 1214) at the beginning and the end of your letter
- thank them for their time and attention
Things to know:
- letters become part of the public record, but
- you don’t have to use your real name and
- you don’t have to be a resident of WA (although it helps)
Suggested Comment Text:
We’ve used variations of this text in multiple states (we wish we didn’t need to!) Please feel free to adapt to what you want to say. Dr. Beal’s powerful personal letter to legislators provides additional depth and citations.
I urge you not to hold a hearing in the Health Care & Wellness committee for HB 1214. This bill would interfere with families making private medical decisions with their trusted medical providers and further marginalize youth who already face stigma and barriers to appropriate health care.
The bill as written is not based on the current standards of care for transgender youth as agreed upon by the majority of the relevant medical and professional organizations, including the:
American Academy of Pediatrics
The Endocrine Society
The Pediatric Endocrine Society
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
American Academy of Family Physicians
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American College of Physicians
American Medical Association
American Osteopathic Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Public Health Association
World Professional Association For Transgender Health
The body of evidence supporting gender affirming care for youth with gender dysphoria is strong and growing. The assertion that gender affirming care is extreme, rushed, poorly understood by those who seek it or that there is a high rate of regret is scientifically unsupported and simply untrue. While there is growing interest in initializing gender affirming care for youth, genital surgeries remain unavailable before the age of 18. Some transgender youth are able to obtain mastectomies and mammoplasties, but so are cisgender youth.
Proposed bill HB 1214 prohibiting gender affirming procedures will harm Washington youth and denies Washington families the right to make healthcare decisions in private consultation with their doctors. It is in opposition to existing guidelines and clinical knowledge. 29 major medical organizations support gender affirming care as medically necessary.
I urge you not to let this harmful bill go any further.
Thanks to our friends at Gender Justice League for the alert.
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