The Montana House of Representatives endorsed a bill that would bar doctors from performing certain medical procedures for transgender youth.
House Bill 427 would prohibit medical providers from performing gender-transitioning surgery on trans minors. It would also prohibit them from referring patients out-of-state for those procedures. The bill passed 59-40, with most Republicans voting in favor of it.
A similar version of this policy introduced earlier in the session had an additional stipulation to bar doctors from prescribing hormone treatments. It was narrowly voted down last month.
Supporters of HB 427 say it is designed to protect children from making decisions with permanent consequences.
A number of medical experts spoke in opposition to the bill, saying it is very rare that doctors perform gender-transitioning procedures on minors. They also said that they already follow best practices to treat gender dysphoria.
Medical experts also say the bill is written broadly and would also prohibit some treatments for intersex youth.
HB 427 is being carried by Republican Rep. John Fuller, who is also carrying House Bill 112. That bill would ban trans women from competing in women’s interscholastic sports. HB 112 has also passed the House and will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
