New Hampshire's Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a ban on gender transition surgeries for children on Thursday, sending the measure to the state Senate.
Lawmakers passed the bill 199-175, with 12 Democrats joining nearly all Republicans to block doctors from performing genital surgeries on children who claim transgender identity. Two Republicans voted against the measure.
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House Bill 619 also prohibits doctors from referring children to other doctors who might perform the surgeries out of state. The state Senate is also expected to approve the measure.
“This is a question of whether or not you believe children should be able to get an irreversible surgery,” Democratic state Rep. Jonah Wheeler, who broke with his party to vote for the bill, said in a floor speech. “So yeah, despite being a liberal who believes in human rights, I do not think that children should be able to get irreversible surgery. So I’ll take all the heat that comes from this.”
An original version of the bill sought to ban the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones on children as well, but those provisions were removed.
State Rep. Dan Hynes, an independent who was elected as a Republican, voted against the bill, citing the right of parents to transition their children if they so choose.
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“This amendment goes against parental rights, and goes against medical freedom, particularly for patients to be able to decide whether they get that treatment, which could prevent their suicide, which is also irreversible,” Hynes said, using a similar argument as Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R), who recently vetoed a bill that would have banned the surgeries and prescription drugs used for transition.
It is unclear where New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) stands on the bill, but if it reaches his desk after approval from the Senate and he signs it, the Granite State would become the 21st state to enact a similar ban.