The Kansas legislature passed The Help Not Harm Act on Feb. 18, overriding a veto by Governor Laura Kelly. The bill will go into effect after its publication in the Kansas Register, which is published every Thursday.
With this new law in place, Kansas transgender youth will no longer be able to receive gender-affirming medical care.
The bill may face a challenge in the Kansas Supreme Court over its constitutionality, according to KMUW.
Kansas courts ruled that women have the right to abortion in 2019 with Hodes & Nauser v. State of Kansas. Many Democratic legislators believe this ruling ensures the rights of transgender minors to receive gender-affirming care, but Republicans don’t agree that personal autonomous rights extend to this type of health care.
Kansas is the 24th state to pass a bill like Senate Bill 63. The issue is also being debated federally, as families sue President Donald Trump over restrictions on gender-affirming care.
