The US House has passed a piece of legislation that would not only ban but also criminalise gender-affirming care for trans youth.

Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene first introduced the Protect Children’s Innocence Act in August 2022, and yesterday the US House voted in favour of it.

216 representatives – 210 Republicans and three Democrats – approved the Act, narrowly defeating the 207 Democrats and four Republicans who voted in opposition.

The bill will now be passed to the Senate, who must approve it in order for it to advance further.

As CNN reports, if enacted, the Bill would criminalise doctors for offering gender-affirming care – including surgeries and puberty blockers – to minors. Medical professionals could face up to 10 years in prison for offering such treatment.

In addition to criminalising the provision of gender-affirming care for minors, the Bill would also prevent federal funds from being used on this form of care. Medical schools would also be unable to teach subjects related to gender-affirming care, and healthcare plans covered by the Affordable Care Act would be unable to provide treatment.

The Protect Children’s Innocence Act would also ban anyone who has performed gender-affirming care from immigrating to the US.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) previously urged the House to reject the Bill, describing it as “the most extreme anti-trans legislation ever considered by Congress”.

The ACLU pointed to the fact that gender-affirming care mentioned in the Bill is supported by the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The group also criticised the Bill for endorsing non-consensual surgeries on intersex infants, while banning gender-affirming surgeries for trans youth.

The ACLU’s National Director of Policy and Government Affairs Mike Zamore said the Bill “puts the threat of prosecution between hundreds of thousands of families and their doctors and would put doctors behind bars for exercising their best medical judgment.”

He said: “Passing this bill would be a grave escalation of an already severe effort to not only push transgender people out of public life but also allow the state to control our bodies and our lives further. Families with transgender youth across the country have already taken the dire step of leaving the United States for fear of exactly this kind of proposal becoming the law of the land.”

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