Democratic senators seek to ax transgender care ban from defense bill

[Jessica_Rose]

Democratic senators seek to ax transgender care ban from defense bill

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democratic-senators-seek-to-ax-transgender-care-ban-from-defense-bill/ar-AA1vYB4a?ocid=windirect&cvid=1e670986bdba46e5b9ee5f3f550294bc&ei=81

Story by Matt Lavietes (16 Dec 2024)

Fourteen Democratic senators will introduce an amendment Monday evening to remove language from Congress' massive defense spending bill that seeks to ban coverage of gender-affirming care for transgender children of servicemembers, the office of Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., told NBC News.

The group of 14 senators, led by Baldwin — who will be the Senate's sole LGBTQ member in the new term — is seeking to remove a provision tucked into the bill that would prohibit "medical treatment for military dependents under the age of 18 who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria" under the military's health care program, Tricare.

"Let's be clear: we're talking about parents who are in uniform serving our country who have earned the right to make the best decisions for their families. I trust our servicemembers and their doctors to make the best healthcare decisions for their kids, not politicians," Baldwin said in a statement. "Our amendment would protect military families' right to make their own decisions and access sometimes lifesaving care for their children."

Speaker Mike Johnson... said the legislation prioritizes "military lethality, not radical woke ideology. This legislation permanently bans transgender treatment for minors..."

If the amendment remains in the NDAA, it would mark one of the first times Congress passed a federal statute directed at trans people.