SB 843, Senator Moon’s dangerous health care ban targeting transgender youth, has passed out of the Senate Seniors, Families, Military, and Veteran Affairs Committee. The bill, which currently penalizes physicians for providing life-saving affirming health care, has PASSED out of the committee today on a vote of 5-2.
We need your help NOW to CALL YOUR SENATOR.
This bill now has an opportunity to be added to the Senate Calendar for a Floor debate before the end of session.
This bill displays a fundamental lack of understanding of who transgender children are. It seeks to ban life-saving, medically necessary, and affirming health care for transgender youth by targeting providers who would face punishable consequences for providing best practice care backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other leading medical authorities. Medical professionals, not politicians, should decide what medical care is in the best interest of a patient, in collaboration with their patients and their families, in accordance with the current medical best practices.
The fight isn’t over. We have the opportunity to educate all of our lawmakers ahead of them debating this frightful legislation.
Take three actions with us:
- Your voice matters: CALL Your SENATOR!
- Your support matters: Donate to PROMO to help us continue working with lawmakers and in the community every single day to stop these attacks from advancing.
- Visibility matters: Share our petition with your network via email and social media.
Bills like this are incredibly dangerous, because they are about all of us — whether LGBTQ people should be treated fairly across all areas of life—or whether we can be unfairly fired, kicked out of a restaurant, denied an apartment, or denied the health care we need, just because of who we are.
We are incredibly proud and grateful for the transgender youth and adults, parents, coaches, school counselors, families, and supportive community members who showed up to share their personal stories and testimonies in front of the Senate Seniors, Families, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee last week in opposition of the transgender youth health care ban SB 843 (Moon R-29). This group of fierce advocates pivoted quickly, as the original bill language was substituted minutes ahead of the hearing, and thankfully the bill omitted the substantially dangerous language: originally criminalizing parents for seeking affirming medically safe and life-saving care for their children!
Legislators see PROMO in the Capitol every day, demonstrating the vigilance, persistence, and expertise required to make certain Missouri’s laws protect and enhance the lives of all LGBTQ Missourians. Thank you for continuing to support us in this work!
In Equality,
Shira Berkowitz, Sr. Director Public Policy and Advocacy
