Reeves signs bill banning trans ops
A bill that limits access to gender reassignment surgeries for children under the age of 18 and prevents the use of public funds was signed into law by Gov. Tate Reeves earlier this week.
House Bill 1125, or the Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures Act or REAP for short, was authored by Rep. Gene Newman, R-Pearl, and aims to limit access to gender reassignment surgeries and treatments to those under the age of 18.
The new law also prevents public funds or tax deductions for prohibited gender transition procedures, places enforcement procedures on the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure and stops Medicaid from covering gender transition for persons under 18.
“At the end of the day, there are two positions here,” Reeves said. “One tells children that they’re beautiful the way they are. That they can find happiness in their own bodies. The other tells them that they should take drugs and cut themselves up with expensive surgeries in order to find freedom from depression. I know which side I’m on. No child in Mississippi will have these drugs or surgeries pushed upon them.”
Reeves signed the bill on Tuesday, Feb. 28, after a press conference that included a comment from Reeves and conservative commentator Matt Walsh.
Madison’s Rep. Jill Ford was a co-sponsor of the bill and has been a vocal supporterl.
“It was time for us to protect vulnerable children in Mississippi from experimental medical treatments that are not supported by medical science and do not meet widely-accepted standards of medical care,” Ford said. “Minors do not have the capacity nor maturity to choose the often permanent, irreversible consequences of changing their bodies through gender transition services.”
Ford went on to say, “Children struggling to identify with their biological sex need compassionate care and access to mental healthcare services, not puberty blockers, hormone treatment, nor surgical referrals.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi released a statement in opposition he day the bill was passed in the House in January stating that everyone “deserves to live as their authentic selves” regardless of their age.
The group stated that the bill “criminalizes parents and healthcare providers for supporting Mississippi youth during their most challenging years.”
The statement went on to say, “Gender-affirming care will look different for every transgender person, making it all the more critical for these decisions to be between patients, their families and their doctors—not politicians forcing policy onto these vulnerable young people.”