Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New York Joins List Of States Protecting Gender Care Access For Minors
The Hill: New York Is Latest ‘Safe Haven’ For Gender-Affirming Care
New York on Sunday became the latest in a growing list of states to pass legislation protecting access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors as more than a dozen other state governments have moved to ban treatments including puberty blockers and hormone therapy. New York’s new “safe haven” law bars state courts from enforcing the laws of other states that authorize a minor to be removed from their home if their parents or legal guardians allow them to receive gender-affirming health care. (Migdon, 6/26)
AP: Maine House Votes To Ensure Teens Can Receive Gender-Affirming Health Care
The Maine House voted Monday in favor of a bill to ensure 16- and 17-year-olds can receive gender-affirming hormone therapy without parental consent if certain conditions are met. The bill, approved 73-60, allows those teens to undergo treatment without parental consent if they are diagnosed with gender dysphoria, are experiencing harm and have received counseling. It now goes to the Senate for further debate. (6/26)
AP: Kansas Must Undo Gender Changes For Trans People In State Records, Attorney General Says
A new Kansas law requires the state to reverse any previous gender changes in its records for trans people’s birth certificates and driver’s licenses while also preventing such changes going forward, the state’s conservative Republican attorney general declared Monday. Attorney General Kris Kobach also said public schools’ records for students must list them as being the gender they were assigned at birth, whether or not teachers and staff recognize their gender identities. (Hanna, 6/26)
CalMatters: More California Prisoners Are Requesting Gender-Affirming Health Care, Including Surgeries
The number of California prisoners requesting gender-affirming health care more than doubled last year, and the state’s corrections agency expects the trend to continue even as the overall state inmate population is projected to decline. The estimate comes from budget documents detailing the agency’s responsibilities for two groundbreaking policies the state adopted over the last seven years. (Sosa, 6/26)
The Washington Post: Delaware Lawmaker Seeks To Become First Transgender Member Of U.S. House
Sarah McBride, a Democratic state senator in Delaware, announced Monday that she is running for the state’s sole U.S. House seat, a bid that, if successful next year, would make her the first transgender person to serve in Congress. (Wagner, 6/26)
Also —
ABC News: LGBTQ Couples Push For 'Fertility Equality' In Family-Building Benefits
For Emma Goidel and Ilana Caplan, building a family using assisted reproductive technology was never going to be easy, but the couple says they never imagined the financial costs they’d face simply because of who they are. “We looked really closely at our insurance and we saw, oh my God, Aetna covers fertility procedures. But then when we read the fine print, we saw – wait a minute, this coverage is only for people having heterosexual sex,” said Goidel, who lives in New York City. (Dwyer and See, 6/27)
