New Hampshire House passes ban on gender-affirming surgery for minors

The Republican-controlled New Hampshire state House voted Thursday to approve a bill barring physicians from performing gender-affirming genital surgeries on transgender minors, sending the controversial measure to the Senate, where it is also expected to pass.

House Bill 619 had initially sought to ban all gender-affirming medical care, including puberty blockers and hormones, for transgender minors but was later amended to prohibit only genital surgeries, which are already exceedingly rare for minors.

Such procedures, according to guidelines set by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the Endocrine Society, are not recommended for transgender children and adolescents younger than 18.

House lawmakers passed the bill Thursday in a 199-175 vote. Twelve Democrats voted with Republicans to pass the measure, which would also prevent health care workers from referring minors out of state for such surgeries. Two Republicans voted against it.

Those opposed to the legislation largely have argued that despite the relative infrequency of genital surgeries for minors, banning them outright could set a dangerous precedent for political interference in medicine.

The measure, if passed, would also infringe on the right of parents to make medical decisions on behalf of their children, New Hampshire Rep. Dan Hynes, an independent who left the Republican Party in June, argued Thursday on the House floor.

The state House on Thursday also voted to send House Bill 396, which would allow individuals to be classified “based on biological sex” in athletic competitions, incarceration and use of public restrooms, to the Senate, which is also controlled by Republicans.