The Missouri House passed legislation Thursday that would permanently bar doctors from prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to transgender minors, sending the bill to the Senate for approval. Lawmakers voted along party lines with 102 Republicans in favor and 40 Democrats voting against the bill, as well as two additional Democratic representatives voting “present.”
Since passing the state’s restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors in 2023, Missouri lawmakers have filed bills every year seeking to remove the law’s expiration date. Last year, the proposal was approved at the committee level and rolled into a 108-page Senate bill that sought to modify the sunsets of a variety of laws. The legislation ultimately stalled in the House.
The bill wouldn’t change the state’s ban on gender affirming surgeries for those under 18, which was enacted without a sunset in 2023. It would only impact access to cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers, which Democrats argued should not be regulated by the state’s legislature. Further details can be found here via the Missouri Independent.
The MCC testified in favor of HB 2033 at a House committee hearing last month.