U.S. House Passes Controversial Bill to Ban Gender-Affirming Care for Minors

The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed a controversial bill on Wednesday that would make it a federal crime to provide gender-affirming medical treatments, such as puberty blockers, hormones, or surgeries, to minors. Healthcare providers could face up to ten years in prison. The vote was 216 to 211, largely along party lines.

The bill, championed by Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, reflects a key campaign priority of former President Donald Trump. During the debate, Greene and other supporters argued the legislation was necessary to protect children from what they described as irreversible and radical procedures. Opponents, including Democrats and a handful of Republicans, condemned the bill as a dangerous governmental overreach that would harm transgender youth, infringe on parental rights, and interfere with established medical care. They emphasized that surgeries on minors are extremely rare and that the bill primarily targets essential, medically accepted treatments.

The legislation is not expected to advance in the Democrat-led Senate. A second related bill, which would block Medicaid from covering gender-affirming care for transgender youth, is scheduled for a House vote later this week.