Gov. Tony Evers vetoes bill blocking doctors from providing gender transition treatment to youth
MADISON – Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday vetoed a bill that, if passed, would have barred doctors from providing medical gender transition treatments for Wisconsin youth.
Evers said he vetoed the bill to ensure medical professionals, parents and transgender youth have access to "basic, lifesaving care" backed by research and medical experts.
“Further, and especially important to me personally, I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to the Legislature’s ongoing efforts to manufacture and perpetuate false, hateful, and discriminatory anti-LGBTQ policies and rhetoric in our state,” Evers said in a press release Wednesday.
Evers promised to veto any further bills that restrict LGBTQ+ rights.
“This type of legislation, and the rhetoric beget by pursuing it, harms LGBTQ people and kids’ mental health, emboldens anti-LGBTQ hate and violence, and threatens the safety and dignity of LGBTQ Wisconsinites," he said. "I support LGBTQ Wisconsinites, and I will continue to do everything in my power to defend them, protect their rights, and keep them safe.”
All Republican lawmakers in the state Senate voted in November in favor of the bill, which bars children from receiving certain medical procedures aimed at changing their biological sex and from receiving puberty-blocking drugs. All Democrats voted against the bill.
The bill is part of a trio of legislation introduced this year aimed at putting restrictions on transgender youth. Two other bills aimed to bar transgender students from participating in girls' and women's sports in high school and college.
The legislation was proposed by Rep. Scott Allen, R-Waukesha, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Sen. Duey Stroebel, R-Town of Cedarburg.
Stroebel in a press release said Evers' veto Wednesday proved Evers "is more concerned with kowtowing to the extremes of the progressive movement than he is with protecting the innocence of Wisconsin’s children."
"Protecting children from invasive and irreversible medical interventions is the right thing to do from both a scientific and ethical standpoint. While the Governor’s veto of this legislation is certainly not surprising, it serves as a stark reminder of just how out of touch with reality Governor Evers is," Stroebel said.
Medically necessary gender transition care for minors is backed by nearly every major medical association in the United States, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association. All three organizations agree gender-affirming treatments help prevent suicide, an issue pervasive among transgender youth who face discrimination and mistreatment.
Groups representing pediatricians, school social workers and other medical groups urged lawmakers to reject the bill, citing its effect on transgender children's mental health if enacted.
If approved, the bill would have barred health care providers from conducting or making referrals for certain medical practices for youth under age 18 "if done for the purpose of changing the minor's body to correspond to a sex that is discordant with the minor's biological sex."
There were no criminal penalties outlined in the legislation, but violations would have resulted in a mandatory license revocation.
At least 20 states have enacted similar laws banning gender-confirming treatments for youth.
Evers from the introduction of the legislation was clear that he would not sign the bill if it made it to his desk.