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Utah bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth : NPR


Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed legislation on Saturday banning youth from receiving sex-based health care.

Rick Bowmer/AP


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Rick Bowmer/AP


Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed legislation on Saturday banning youth from receiving sex-based health care.

Rick Bowmer/AP

SALT LAKE CITY – The Republican governor of Utah on Saturday signed bills that would ban youth from receiving gender-appropriate health care and allow families to receive scholarships to pay for outside education. outside the public school system, both of these measures are part of larger movements across the country.

Governor Spencer Cox, who has taken no public position on the transgender care measure, signed it a day after the Legislature sent it to his desk. Utah’s bill bans sex reassignment surgery for teenagers and does not allow hormone therapy for minors who have not been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. The state’s Republican-dominated Legislature prioritized the ban and considered its first draft less than 10 days ago, two days after the Legislature opened this year’s session on Thursday. January 17th.

Cox’s approval of the bill comes as lawmakers in at least 18 states consider similar bills targeting healthcare for young transgender people.

Cox explained in a statement that his decision was based on his belief that these “long-term and life-changing treatments should be halted for new patients until better research is available.” can help determine the long-term consequences.”

“While we understand that our words will not comfort those who disagree with us, we sincerely hope that we can treat our transgender family with love. more love and respect as we work to better understand the science and consequences behind these procedures,” he said. .

Among the critics is Utah’s ACLU, which on Friday urged Cox to veto the bill.

In a letter to Cox, the civil rights organization said it was deeply concerned about “the harmful and potentially catastrophic effects this law will have on people’s lives and health care and the serious violations of the constitutional rights of people that it would cause.

“By cutting out medical treatment supported by every major medical association in the United States, the bill compromises the health and well-being of adolescents with gender dysphoria. It ties doctors and parents by restricting their access to the only evidence-based treatment available for this serious medical condition and hindering their ability to fulfill their professional obligations,” the letter reads.

The bill’s sponsor, state Senator Mike Kennedy, a Republican family doctor, has said government oversight is necessary for vital health care policy related to gender. and youth.

Cox also signed another measure that would provide school choice scholarships to students to attend schools outside of the public education system. The bill also increases teacher salaries and benefits in an effort to alleviate the state’s teacher shortage.

At least a dozen other states are considering similar legislation in what has emerged as a landmark year for school-choice wars. The debates have provoked teacher unions and raised concerns about efforts to gradually privatize public education. If enacted, they could change the nature of the state government’s relationship with the education system and deepen the contrast between what schooling looks like in many red and blue states.

Utah’s bill allocates $42 million in taxpayer dollars to pay for scholarships so students can attend private schools. About 5,000 students will receive $8,000 scholarships, nearly double the state’s “weighted student unit” funding that follows students to their schools. In an effort to assuage stiff opposition from the state’s teachers union, the bill also includes $6,000 in salaries and benefits for Utah teachers.

Cox’s statement explains his decision is primarily focused on increasing teachers’ pay while describing the measure as “striking a good balance.”

“School selection works best when we fully fund public education and we remove unnecessary regulations that burden our public schools and make them difficult to succeed”.

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