New Hampshire has become the first state in the northeastern U.S. to prohibit gender-affirming medical care for minors after the state’s Republican leadership approved a bill banning specific medications and surgeries meant to address gender dysphoria, effective next year.
Governor Kelly Ayot, a former U.S. Senator who secured the governorship last November, signed two bills aimed at limiting access to transition-related healthcare on Friday.
One of the laws, HB 377, will prevent medical professionals from providing puberty blockers and hormone treatments to transgender youth starting January 1st. Interestingly, New Hampshire’s ban incorporates a “grandfather clause,” allowing minors already receiving care to continue their treatments after the law takes effect.
The second piece of legislation, HB 712, builds on existing laws that restrict gender-related surgeries. This new law will block adolescents under 18 from undergoing certain procedures, including facial feminization surgery and surgeries aimed at gender confirmation, starting in January.
In a statement, Ayot remarked, “Medical decisions made at a young age can have lifelong consequences, and these bills represent a balanced, bipartisan effort to protect children.”
HB 377 had previously received approval in the New Hampshire House in June, with support from two Democrats joining nearly all Republicans present. Eleven Democrats did not participate in the vote. The state Senate passed the bill along party lines with a 16-8 vote.
Wheeler, another Democrat, also sided with House Republicans to advance HB 712, which again saw eleven Democrats abstain. The Senate approved this measure in June, adhering strictly to party positions.
Republican Assembly member Lisa Mazur, a key sponsor of both bills, celebrated their passage on social media, stating, “My two bills protecting NH children from irreversible harm have just been signed into law by Governor Ayot. We are now the first state in New England and the entire northeast to do so.”
While defending HB 377, Mazur cited a recent Supreme Court ruling upholding a Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for minors, asserting it was both legal and constitutional for states to regulate or prohibit minors from using what she termed “harmful drugs.”
Responses from LGBTQ rights organizations were swift and critical. They argued that lawmakers disregarded testimonies from transgender youth who benefited from affirming care, emphasizing that such medical support is necessary and life-saving.
“It’s heartbreaking to see lawmakers insert deep, personal conversations between families, their doctors and children,” expressed Julia Hawthorne, a board member of the state LGBTQ Rights Group 603 Equality.
Linds Jakows, founder of the group, stated that transgender youth in New Hampshire are receiving harmful messages of rejection from the government, despite needing supportive health care.
Jakows reassured affected individuals that, despite the legislation, they are loved and deserve respect and dignity, affirming a community ready to support them.
Additionally, the Southern Equality campaign, an LGBTQ rights organization, announced on Friday its plans to expand the Trans Youth Emergency Project in New Hampshire, which has already allocated over $900,000 in grants to families of transgender children who need to travel for care.
Van Bailey, a patient navigator for the program, reflected on the concerns of families, stating, “Many don’t know where and when they need the medications they need to keep their children healthy and happy. These laws brutally thrust families into impossible options and are extremely unfair.”
