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Bill to ban youth gender confirmation surgery introduced

Idaho Statehouse
Posted at 2:42 PM, Feb 22, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-06 19:34:09-05

BOISE, Idaho — Legislation that would make it illegal to perform gender confirmation surgery on juveniles was introduced in the Idaho House State Affairs Committee on Tuesday. The bill has been filed for a second reading in the House State Affairs Committee.

Rep. Bruce Skaug, a Republican from Nampa, said the bill would modify the state’s current law against female genital mutilation to include boys and make it clear that performing gender confirmation surgery on a child is a felony. The proposal includes exceptions for birth defects and chromosomal disorders.

Skaug said the bill is needed because the surgeries may be irreversible and he thinks a juvenile is too young to make that decision. The legislation was introduced on a 13-1 vote.