West Virginia lawmakers advanced an even more restrictive bill Monday on medical care for transgender youth.
The House Judiciary Committee, along party lines, approved a bill that not only limits gender-affirming surgeries for anyone under 18, but also restricts hormone therapy and puberty blockers.
That version of House Bill 2007 goes farther than the one considered earlier in the House Committee on Health and Human Resources and matches legislation introduced in other Republican-controlled states.
A public hearing will be held on HB 2007 on Thursday at 9 a.m.
Leading medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, oppose such measures.
Only the House Judiciary Committee’s three Democrats opposed HB 2007 in its revised form. No expert witnesses were called to testify.
Gender-affirming surgeries are rare for minors, but hormone therapies and puberty blockers are commonly used.
HB 2007 has no exceptions for parents or doctors to make medical decisions for minors.