Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill Monday banning gender-confirming health care for minors in Oklahoma effective immediately.
Senate Bill 613, authored by Sen. Julie Daniels (R-Bartlesville), complements Stitt’s call for a statewide ban on gender-confirming care last October. The bill bans gender-confirming health care such as hormone replacement therapy and reassignment surgeries.
Under the new law, if a health care provider issues gender-confirming care to a minor, they may face felony charges, license revocation and civil actions.
The law reads a parent, legal guardian or next friend of a child who received gender-confirming care may bring a civil action against the health care provider who issued any transition procedures or hormone therapies to the child.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to what’s happening across our nation, and as governor I am proud to stand up for what’s right and ban life-altering transition surgeries on children in the state of Oklahoma,” Stitt wrote.
SB 613 is effective immediately barring a six-month period during which children currently receiving gender-confirming care may continue.
According to Rep. Mauree Turner (D-Oklahoma City), SB 613 was not on the original House floor agenda for April 26, but was added at 11:47 a.m. the same day.
Welp, it was just added to the floor agenda. https://t.co/tz9GL53TNJ pic.twitter.com/PONvrWbelP
— Rep. Mauree Turner | They / Them (@MaureeTurnerOK) April 26, 2023
On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma and other legal organizations stated they will take legal action against the ban.
“Transgender youth in Oklahoma deserve the support and care necessary to give them the same chance to thrive as their peers,” the statement reads. “If this bill is signed into law, we will defend the rights of transgender youth in court, just as we have done in other states engaging in this anti-science and discriminatory fearmongering.”
This story was edited by Alexia Aston, Karoline Leonard and Jazz Wolfe.
