Evert Nelson/The Topeka Capital-Journal/USA Today Network
Governor Laura Kelly spoke about the importance of equality during her remarks at the Equality Kansas Advocacy Day rally held in the State Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday, January 31, 2024.
CNN
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Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly On Friday, he vetoed a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, setting up a showdown with Republican state lawmakers.
Kelly said in a statement on Friday that the measure “tramples on the rights of parents,” adding: “As a politician, the last thing I want to be involved is between a parent and a child who need medical care of any kind. It’s there,” he added.
“This divisive bill targets a minority of Kansan people by imposing government mandates on them and dictating to parents how to best raise and care for their children,” Kelly said. said in a statement. “I don’t think that’s a conservative value, and certainly not a Kansas value.”
The bill is now back in the state Legislature, where the Republican majority likely has enough votes to overturn the governor’s block. Lawmakers are scheduled to return for a veto session on April 29th.
The governor last year vetoed a similar bill targeting doctors who provide gender-affirming treatment to minors, but unlike then, there was enough support to override Friday’s veto. appears to be in the state legislature. The state Senate passed the bill with a veto-proof majority late last month, but the House fell two votes short due to multiple absentees. Two Republican state legislators who were absent previously voted in favor of the bill.
Kansas House Speaker Daniel Hawkins on Friday condemned the governor’s actions and warned, “House Republicans stand ready to override the governor’s veto to protect Kansas’ vulnerable children.”
“As we watch other states, nations, and organizations reverse testing procedures on children, Laura Kelly is on the wrong side of history with her reckless veto of common-sense protections for minors in Kansas.” You’ll definitely find yourself there,” Hawkins said. In a statement shared by X.
State Republicans say the bill protects children, while Kansas Democrats accuse it of violating the rights of transgender people, a debate that has drawn national attention from both parties. This is consistent with the fact that we have been working on the problem of collecting. The bill’s passage would put Kansas among at least 20 states that have moved to curb gender-affirming care for minors, as transgender rights have become a top Republican issue. Became.
The bill would ban gender-affirming care, such as puberty-blocking drugs and surgeries, for transgender and non-binary youth in Kansas, but surgeries are rarely performed on children. Minors currently receiving such care may continue treatment through the end of the year if a physician certifies that immediate discontinuation of the care poses a risk to the child and establishes a plan to phase out the treatment. Is recognized.
The measure also allows for civil lawsuits to be brought against doctors, and if a doctor provides gender-affirming treatment to a minor, their medical license will be revoked and they will be required to pay damages resulting from the provision of such treatment. Liability insurance will no longer apply.
The bill would also prohibit the use of state funds, such as Medicaid, to facilitate treatment and prohibit state officials from recognizing a minor’s preferred pronouns if they do not match the gender assigned at birth.
The measure expands on previous efforts by the Republican-led Congress to curb transgender rights. Last year, the Kansas Legislature overrode the governor’s veto and enacted an anti-trans sports ban, banning the state’s trans women and girls from competing on sports teams that match their gender from kindergarten to college. .
This story has been updated with additional information.
