Idaho's ban on youth gender-affirming care has families desperately scrambling

[Jessica_Rose]

Idaho's ban on youth gender-affirming care has families desperately scrambling for solutions

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health-news/idaho-s-ban-on-youth-gender-affirming-care-has-families-desperately-scrambling-for-solutions/ar-BB1lJJGk?ocid=windirect&cvid=c5cfbffb19544b309f026674577be204&ei=21

Story by CLAIRE RUSH (16 April 2024)

Forced to hide her true self, Joe Horras' transgender daughter struggled with depression and anxiety until three years ago, when she began to take medication to block the onset of puberty. The gender-affirming treatment helped the now-16-year-old find happiness again, her father said.

A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court late Monday allowing Idaho to enforce its ban on such care for minors could jeopardize her wellbeing once again.

"It would be devastating for her," Horras, who lives in Boise, told The Associated Press. "If she doesn't have access to that, it will damage her mental health."

Horras is among the Idaho parents desperate to find solutions after their trans children lost access to the gender-affirming care they were receiving. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision allows the state to put in place a 2023 law that subjects physicians to up to 10 years in prison if they provide hormones, puberty blockers or other gender-affirming care to people under age 18.

Paul Southwick, legal director for ACLU of Idaho, said the group wants families to know what their options are.

"Gender-affirming medical care is now immediately illegal for minors in the state of Idaho. However, care remains legal for adults, and it's also legal for minors to seek gender-affirming medical care out of state," he said.

[LoriDee]

Republican legislature in South Dakota passed a similar law a few years ago. To my knowledge, no one has challenged it.