The Tennessee Statehouse, controlled by the GOP, has passed a groundbreaking legislation that criminalizes adults who aid minors in accessing gender-affirming care without parental consent. This move marks the first-in-the-nation proposal of its kind and is now awaiting Governor Bill Lee's signature.
The bill closely resembles language from a recent anti-abortion trafficking proposal endorsed by Tennessee Republican lawmakers. The aim is to prevent adults from facilitating minors in obtaining abortions without parental authorization.
While Governor Lee has not publicly commented on these bills, supporters anticipate his approval based on his past actions. Lee has previously signed off on a comprehensive abortion ban and a prohibition on gender-affirming care for children, having never exercised his veto power during his tenure.
Proponents of the legislation argue that it safeguards parental rights. However, critics caution about its potentially broad implications. Violations could range from discussing healthcare options with a minor to assisting them in seeking care in states with more lenient regulations on gender-affirming services.
Tennessee has been at the forefront of enacting anti-LGBTQ+ laws, with over 20 bills passing through the Legislature in recent months. These include measures prohibiting the use of state funds for hormone therapy or sex reassignment procedures for prisoners and mandating public school staff to disclose information about transgender students to their parents.
Another controversial law signed by Governor Lee permits LGBTQ+ foster children to be placed with families holding anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs.
The Human Rights Campaign has criticized Tennessee for passing more anti-LGBTQ+ laws than any other state since 2015, denouncing the legislation as an assault on constituents.
While some Democratic-led states have moved to protect healthcare providers offering banned services, Republican-led states like Tennessee are actively restricting access to gender-affirming care for minors.
Notably, Maine recently enacted a law shielding providers of abortion and gender-affirming care from legal repercussions initiated by other states, sparking disagreements between state attorneys general.
Despite threats of legal action from other states, Maine's Attorney General dismissed them as baseless, underscoring the ongoing debate surrounding healthcare access and LGBTQ+ rights in the United States.
