The State House of Alabama on Thursday approved a law that would make gender-transition related healthcare for trans youth a criminal offense.
If Governor Kay Ivey signs this bill into law, Alabama will become the third state to ban gender-affirming treatment for minors after Arkansas and Tennessee, and the first to declare it a felony.
The trans youth healthcare
The restricted healthcare treatment includes providing gender transition-related medical care, puberty-blocking medications and hormone therapy to transgenders under 18. Medical providers will have to face a prison sentence of 10 years if found guilty of providing treatment.
Critical reception of the law
Health professionals and the public say the treatment should not be restricted as it reduces the risk of depression and suicide and saves lives.
The American Academy of Pediatrics opposed the bill strongly, saying the law targets the young and vulnerable, and would also affect their physical and mental health.
Similar laws
Other than Arkansas and Tennessee, the Governor of Arizona has signed a bill to ban irreversible gender reassignment for youth.
Governor Kay Ivey has not yet informed whether she would sign the bill; her office did not respond with a comment, either.
