The governor of Mississippi said on Tuesday that he plans on enacting a law that would prohibit sex-transition procedures for minors.
Governor Tate Reeves made the announcement following the passage of Mississippi House Bill 1125, which would ban pharmaceuticals and surgical procedures meant to induce sex transition from being provided to persons under the age of 18.
“Dangerous cross-sex hormones and experimental surgeries are not a compassionate solution for children struggling with gender dysphoria,” claimed Jessica Anderson, executive director of Heritage Action, according to AP News.
“These dangerous procedures both fail to address underlying mental health issues and also leave children suffering with irreversible psychological and physical damage for the rest of their lives,” Anderson said.
The imminent enactment of House Bill 1125 prompted criticism from other organizations that alleged the state government was meddling in personal decisions and putting transgender youths’ lives at risk.
“Patients, along with their health care providers — not politicians — should decide what medical care is in the best interest of a patient,” said Jensen Luke Matar, executive director of Transgender Resources Advocacy Network and Services Program, according to AP News.
“I know from years of working directly with trans youth in Mississippi that they need support, love, and affirmation — not this brazen political attack that cuts off their access to life-saving care,” Matar claimed.
The news in Mississippi follows the passage of a similar law in Utah, which “prohibits performing sex characteristic surgical procedures on a minor for the purpose of effectuating a sex change,” as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
Other state governments have also been considering limiting or banning the performance of such procedures on minors, including Texas, where a number of bills have already been filed.
“We are pleased to see a growing number of states ban child gender modification. This issue is one of our top 8 Legislative Priorities, and we look forward to Texas joining those states later this year,” Texas Republican Party Chairman Matt Rinaldi told The Dallas Express.
The Dallas Express also reached out to Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa and the ACLU of Texas but did not receive a response by press time.
