The House passed a bill Wednesday that would criminalize gender-affirming care for minors, imposing penalties of up to 10 years in prisons for parents and doctors who authorize or provide such care.
The 216-211 vote fell mostly along party lines. Three Democrats joined all but four Republicans in support.
Passing the bill was a priority for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican who is resigning effective Jan. 5 after feuding with President Trump and GOP leaders.
“It will end genital mutilation and chemical castration of children and imprison offenders for up to 10 years,” Ms. Greene said. “This is a direct legislative reflection of President Trump’s executive order and every single Republican’s campaign promise in 2024.”
GOP leaders promised Ms. Greene a vote on her bill to get her to support a procedural rule needed to bring up the annual defense bill that she opposed.
Ms. Greene said it was a “shame” that she had to resort to such hardball tactics to get a vote on a bill Republicans should support.
Several of her GOP colleagues spoke in support of the measure.
“Through gender affirming care, Democrats are indoctrinating children and causing them to make life-altering decisions about their body, involving hormones and surgery and jeopardizing their health,” said Rep. Barry Moore, Alabama Republican. “It is not life-saving care, it is child abuse.”
Democrats argued that gender-affirming care is grounded in science and supported by every major U.S. medical association.
“This bill will instill fear in doctors and patients and rob parents of their freedom to make decisions for and with their own children,” said Rep. Kim Schrier, Washington Democrat. “Instead, it puts that power in the hands of D.C. lawmakers.”
Rep. Becca Balint, Vermont Democrat, called Republicans efforts to police gender-affirming care a “creepy obsession.”
“Your kids’ medical care is none of their damn business,” she said.
She and other Democrats said the bill would criminalize the use of puberty blockers for transgender youth but other children could get the drugs.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, Maryland Democrat, said puberty blockers are “commonly used by families for young people who are not trans, but who face all the medical and social problems associated with early onset puberty.”
Mr. Moore said the distinction is that the FDA has not approved puberty blockers for treating gender dysphoria.
“They’re off-label uses, so these are not safe uses in many cases with these transitions,” he said.
Rep. Sarah McBride, the only transgender member of Congress, said it is hard for people to understand the need for gender-affirming care or understand the real pain it is treating.
“I didn’t have the courage to come out until I was 21 and that means 21 years of pain, 21 years of unwavering homesickness that only went away when I was able to get the care that I needed,” the Delaware Democrat said. “My biggest regret in life is that I never had a childhood without that pain.”
Republicans argued that children are too young to be making such life-altering medical decisions, and that some are being indoctrinated to come out as transgender.
“In our society, we have all the helping professions – the guidance counselors, the psychologists, the psychiatrists – as well as our pop culture icons from California out there, pushing our poor, young people into the idea that it’s cool to be transgender,” said Rep. Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin Republican. “And some of these kids, their life is ruined.”
Ms. Greene said her bill is not meant to undermine anyone’s gender or sexual identity.
“This is simply a bill to tell kids, ‘hold on’; parents, ‘hold on’; before they have double mastectomies, before they’re castrated, before they take drugs that are not FDA approved for the use that they are given,” she said.
