RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina could become the latest state to block transgender minors from receiving the treatment they seek.
Five Republican lawmakers on Wednesday filed a bill that would outlaw hormone treatments and puberty blockers for anyone under 18 years old.
House Bill 43 would make it illegal for any medical professional “to facilitate the minor's desire to present or appear in a manner that is inconsistent with the minor's sex.”
It comes amid a nationwide push by conservatives to limit health treatments for transgender children and limit discussion of sexuality in classrooms. And administrators of North Carolina's state employee health plan are in federal court defending their exclusion of gender-affirming treatments from the plan.
The bill doesn’t carry any criminal penalties for the minor or parents, but sets a $1,000 penalty for any health care provider that violates the law and puts offenders’ medical licenses in jeopardy.
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