UPDATE (April 6, 2023):
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (ADAMS) – A bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender Hoosiers under the age of 18 is now law.
Governor Eric Holcomb signed the measure on the last day he had to decide if he wanted to veto, sign, or let it become law by not taking action.
In a statement, he says permanent gender-changing surgeries and medically prescribed preparation for a transition should happen as an adult, not as a minor.
The ACLU of Indiana filed a legal challenge to the new law shortly after Holcomb announced he was signing the bill.
Attorney General Rokita issued the following statement today as Governor Holcomb signs SB 480:
“Signing the bill that protects our children from irreversible and damaging decisions was the right move by the governor. Banning these experimental procedures is critical for the health and wellbeing of future generations. My office is thankful for the General Assembly’s hard work to ensure this got across the finish line. We are ready to defend it in court.”
Read more here
Assistant Minority Leader Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) released the following statement:
“I am incredibly disappointed, but unsurprised, to see Governor Holcomb attach his name to this reactionary, cut-and-paste hate bill. Contrary to the Governor’s statement, facts and public record show the vast majority of American medical associations recognize gender-affirming care as safe and necessary. One in three trans youth will attempt suicide, and more grapple with depression and anxiety-–appropriate intervention, including medical transition, greatly reduces those odds.
To Senator Johnson and other Republicans, who said that counseling should be the first and only resource for these kids, I’d challenge them to look around and ask where kids could actually receive that care. Our ratio of school counselors to students is nearly 700:1, the highest in the nation—Indiana also ranks low in our overall ratio of need to providers outside of schools. If you say these kids need counseling, I say pony up: put your money where your mouth is and increase funding for our counselors and for robust mental health services. This care was working for Hoosier youth and their families: the state is once again playing doctor, playing it poorly, and playing it to the detriment and despair of real families and children.”
Senator Mike Braun released the following:
“A child cannot consent to irreversible sex change surgery, and Indiana will no longer allow children to take dangerous drugs with long-term consequences like puberty blockers and hormone therapies in the name of extreme gender theories. These kids are clearly having a hard time, and we need to give them compassion and mental health help rather than dangerous, un-tested, unapproved drugs and irreversible surgeries.” – Senator Mike Braun
UPDATE (April 5, 2023):
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (ADAMS) – Governor Holcomb is expected to take action today on a bill that bans gender-affirming care for transgender Hoosiers under the age of 18.
Senate Bill 480 would prohibit doctors from providing gender transition procedures like prescribing puberty blockers. It was already passed by lawmakers and sent to Holcomb’s desk on March 27th.
Holcomb vetoed a ban on transgender females competing in girls’ sports last year, though his veto was overridden by lawmakers. The governor says this bill is entirely different from that one.
He adds it was not part of his agenda as he has until today to sign or veto the bill. If he does nothing, it will take effect July 1 and anyone younger than 18 would have to stop taking medication to transition to another gender by the end of the year.
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UPDATE (March 28, 2023):
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (ADAMS) – A bill that would ban all gender-affirming care for anyone under the age of 18 is advancing to Governor Holcomb’s desk.
House Republicans passed the measure 65 to 30 on Monday.
Representative Joanna King of Middlebury sponsored the bill. If it becomes law, it will stop transgender minors from receiving hormone therapies, puberty blockers, or undergoing gender-affirming surgeries in Indiana.
The bill is one of several pieces of legislation around the nation that is viewed as anti-LGBTQ.
The ACLU of Indiana is asking Governor Holcomb to veto the bill.
Read more here
UPDATE (March 24, 2023):
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (ADAMS) – Amendments to a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth in Indiana are not advancing.
Senate Bill 480 passed out of the Indiana Senate and arrived in the House this week.
On the House floor Thursday, Democratic Representative Robin Shackleford proposed four amendments to the measure.
All four were voted down.
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UPDATE (March 22, 2023):
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (ADAMS) – The Indiana House Public Health Committee has passed a bill to ban doctors from knowingly giving gender transition procedures to minors.
The bill will also ban other care like the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy.
One Republican on the committee joined four Democrats in voting no, while the other eight voted in favor.
The bill has passed the Senate and would head to Governor Holcomb if passed by the House.
Read more here
UPDATE (March 1, 2023):
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (ADAMS) -The Indiana Senate is advancing a measure that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
A vote along party lines on Tuesday sends the bill to the House for consideration.
If it becomes law, hormone therapy and puberty blockers would be banned for transgender Hoosiers under the age of 18.
Read more here
UPDATE (February 23, 2023):
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (ADAMS) – An Indiana Senate bill that would ban all gender-affirming care for minors is advancing.
The measure passed a committee vote 8 to 3 this week and now heads to the full Senate for consideration.
The care that would be blocked if the bill becomes law includes hormone therapy, puberty blockers, as well as social transition at public schools.
The bill has received pushback from the LGBTQ+ community and representatives from Indiana University Health Riley Children’s Hospital.
Read more here
State Senator Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) offered the following statement:
“This Legislature has decided its newest target is children who are already particularly vulnerable: 30% of people with gender dysphoria will attempt suicide. For reference, that’s about 100 times the rate of the general U.S. population. We know gender-affirming care can bring that number back to baseline–it’s literally lifesaving. The total ban set down by SB 480 signals that the majority has not seriously engaged with peer-reviewed science, healthcare providers, or the families and children who choose this care.
“This bill attempts no scientific understanding, nuance or compassion—it simply legislates trans youth out of existence. In a session we’ve largely devoted to improving healthcare, this is a huge step backward, a slap in the face to the practitioners who overwhelmingly opposed the bill, and a death sentence for members of the trans community in Indiana.”
ORIGINAL STORY:
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (ADAMS) – Indiana lawmakers will hold a hearing today on a bill that would ban doctors from knowingly providing gender transformation procedures to anyone younger than 18.
The state Senate bill also bans doctors from referring anyone underage to another health care provider for the services.
The ACLU of Indiana says they will pack the committee room for the 9 a.m. hearing.
Read more here
