Idaho Gov Signs Bill Prohibiting Taxpayer Funding For Sex-Change Surgeries
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/idaho-gov-signs-bill-prohibiting-taxpayer-funding-for-sex-change-surgeries/ar-BB1kHvZA?ocid=windirect&cvid=d3c030a0449848d0a2d0907087c5ff56&ei=40
Story by Kate Anderson (28 March 2024)
Republican Gov. Brad Little of Idaho signed a bill Wednesday banning the state from using public funding to cover sex-change procedures.
"The Legislature finds that the surgical operations and medical procedures described in section 18-1506C(3), Idaho Code, when used for purposes of altering the appearance of an individual in order to affirm the individual's perception of the individual's sex in a way that is inconsistent with the individual's biological sex, carry substantial risks and have known harmful effects, including irreversible physical alterations and, in some cases, sterility and lifelong sexual dysfunction," the bill reads.
Opponents of the bill argued that the legislation targets transgender residents, according to the Idaho Capital Sun. Howard Belodoff, an attorney who testified in opposition to the bill and is engaged in a lawsuit against the state over Medicaid coverage for transgender procedures, claimed the bill violates the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause and that the state may face more lawsuits over the issue costing "millions."
Little also signed another bill Friday prohibiting students from using bathrooms that do not align with their biological sex. The new law, which will take effect on July 1, also requires public schools to have separate locker rooms, showers, dressing areas and overnight accommodations for male and female students.