The Missouri state Senate adjourned a day early this week for its weeklong spring recess because Democratic lawmakers filibustered a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for minors.
The Senate, which concluded on Wednesday, spent hours debating Senate Bill 49, which would deny access to puberty blockers, hormone therapy, surgery, and other gender-affirming healthcare services for those under 18.
JILL BIDEN GIVES ‘INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE AWARD’ TO TRANSGENDER OFFICIAL
"Ten hours of debate… over two separate days," the bill's author, state Sen. Mike Moon (R), tweeted. "I laid the bill over, with the expectation of going back to the bill after the brief recess. Then, to adjourn one day early is unbelievable."
Democratic lawmakers claimed the bill was harmful and discriminatory against LGBT teenagers. The filibuster was led by the state's only openly gay state senator, Greg Razer (D).
"They don't understand these kids," Razer told the Springfield News Leader. "They don't understand who the transgender community is, the basic science of it, and they want to dictate to doctors and to the parents and the kids what medicine can be provided and what medical care can be provided."
If the bill is passed, Missouri would be the latest state to ban gender-affirming healthcare for minors. Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Utah are among the seven states that already ban medication and surgical care for transgender youth.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“This is real life. We’re making medical decisions [for] kids this body doesn’t understand,” Razer said during a floor debate on Tuesday. “The LGBT community has been a political wedge issue for decades. In every example of how we’re used as a wedge issue, we lose battles at first, but not one time have we ever lost a war.”
Razer added it was likely that the GOP-led legislature would pass some version of the bill when it returns from its break on March 20, but he told the transgender community that it would still "win the war."