New Hampshire is now the only state in New England to ban most gender-affirming health care for transgender youth. That’s after Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed two bills into law Friday: One prohibits doctors from administering puberty blockers or hormone treatments to people younger than 18 when the treatment is part of a gender transition. The second new law prohibits gender-affirming chest surgeries for minors.
Major medical organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Psychiatric Association oppose those kinds of restrictions. They say gender-affirming treatments can be vital to trans teens’ mental health to help them avoid the distress of going through puberty in a body that doesn’t match their gender identity.
“I’m just really sad for all our trans youth here in New Hampshire and for New Hampshire in general,” said Rosie Emrich, who has a transgender daughter and lobbied against the bills.
“This isn’t the New Hampshire that I love.”
Proponents of the new bans say those treatments are inappropriate for young people and have questioned their long-term side effects.
“Medical decisions made at a young age can carry lifelong consequences, and these bills represent a balanced, bipartisan effort to protect children,” Ayotte said in a statement accompanying the bill signings.
New Hampshire joins over 20 other states with similar bans on transgender health care for minors.
The ban on doctors providing hormone therapy and other trans health care takes effect in January. Young people who are already receiving that care before then will be allowed to continue.
The new laws are part of an increased focus on transgender issues by Republicans in Concord in recent years. Last year, New Hampshire adopted laws barring trans students from girls’ sports and banning gender-affirming genital surgeries.
Reporting from WBUR was included in this story.
