Bill to Protect Minors from Sex Reassignment Surgery, Treatments Advances

The Louisiana legislature took a major vote on Tuesday to overturn the veto that was put forward by Governor John Bel Edwards (D-LA) on a bill that would ban all sex reassignment surgeries and treatments for minors throughout the southern state.

The bill in question, House Bill 648, also called the ‘Stop Harming Our Kids Act’, was vetoed by the governor on the 29th of last month after passing through both the House and the Senate in Louisiana. The bill specifically targets preventing any healthcare provider from administering hormone blockers, hormone replacement, or sex-changing surgeries.

Edwards had vetoed the bill claiming that it trampled on “parental rights” over a “very small, unique, and vulnerable group of children.” He also claimed that surgeries on minors were not happening within the state and claimed that it was only “propaganda and misinformation generated by national interest groups,” but that raises the question of why he would care if it’s banned if it’s not happening. (Excerpt from DC Enquirer.)