Gov. Cox [Utah] signs high-profile bill on transgender surgeries
Source: KSL.com (KSL Broadcasting Salt Lake City, Utah)
Cox gave his approval to SB16, a bill banning transgender surgeries for Utah children and teens. SB216 also places an indefinite moratorium on treatments including puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Mike Kennedy, R-Alpine, a practicing family physician, and passed by the Utah Legislature on a final 20-8 vote by the Senate.
"Legislation that impacts our most vulnerable youth requires careful consideration and deliberation," Cox said in a statement about SB216. "While not a perfect bill, we are grateful for Sen. Kennedy's more nuanced and thoughtful approach to this terribly divisive issue. More and more experts, states and countries around the world are pausing these permanent and life-altering treatments for new patients until more and better research can help determine the long-term consequences.
"We will continue to push the Legislature for additional resources to organizations that work to help this important Utah community. While we understand our words will be of little comfort to those who disagree with us, we sincerely hope that we can treat our transgender families with more love and respect as we work to better understand the science and consequences behind these procedures."
Read more: https://www.ksl.com/article/50567331/gov-cox-signs-high-profile-bills-on-transgender-surgeries-school-choice-vouchers
Gov. Spencer Cox last year, when he vetoed a Republican bill barring transgender students from girls' sports in Utah:
In an emotional letter about his veto, Cox cited research about the high risk of suicide among trans youths and additional research that has found that acceptance reduces the risk of suicide.
"I don't understand what they are going through or why they feel the way they do. But I want them to live," he wrote. "And all the research shows that even a little acceptance and connection can reduce suicidality significantly."
https://www.aol.com/news/utah-poised-first-state-pass-143333616.html
Gov. Spencer Cox in 2023:
The governor's approval of the bill was anticipated after he said last week that the bill banning trans teen health care was a "very reasonable approach." (from today's KSL.com article)
It should be noted that puberty blockers (which only pause puberty while administered) have been prescribed for trans teens since 1982 and continually studied since. The treatment normally involves a team consisting of the teen, their parents if they are a minor, their pediatrician, a pediatric endocrinologist and a psychologist/therapist. Along with regular check-ins, blood work and bone density tests, they are part of a medically managed puberty, not something that is done on a whim. There are hundreds of studies showing that for teens who need them, blockers and later, hormone replacement therapy, are safe and effective and greatly reduce suicides and increase quality of life for the rest of their life.
"What the Science on Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender Kids Really Shows
Laws that ban gender-affirming treatment ignore the wealth of research demonstrating its benefits for trans people's health"
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-the-science-on-gender-affirming-care-for-transgender-kids-really-shows/
The latest study results, as of this week:
"Mental health benefits of gender-affirming hormones for teens persist for two years in new study" (the study lasted two years)
https://www.statnews.com/2023/01/18/mental-health-benefits-of-gender-affirming-hormones-for-teens-persist-two-years/
Medical association statements supporting trans health care, including blockers & hrt when applicable, for teens:
https://transhealthproject.org/resources/medical-organization-statements/
Matthew28
(1,798 posts)Are acting like the taliban! Only ever for small government when it comes to giving every last cent to the super rich. For everyone else? It is walk our narrow line.
This is disgusting.
question everything
(47,473 posts)NullTuples
(6,017 posts)nakocal
(552 posts)number of suicides in Utah to go up.
maxsolomon
(33,316 posts)How many underage surgeries are (were) done in UT every year? Nationally?
I'd guess the number is vanishingly small.
Phoenix61
(17,003 posts)before age 18 is mastectomy. Seems that wouldnt be necessary if the person had access to appropriate hormone therapy.
ShazzieB
(16,378 posts)The proper hormone treatment (including puberty blockers) at the right tjme would keep the breasts of a trans boy from developing in the first place. But the same people who are responsible for this Utah law are opposed to that, too! They're opposed to anything other than forcing trans kids to live as the gender that is dictated by their anatomy at birth, because they think it's all in their heads.
These people are sick, and they make me sick.
News Junkie
(312 posts)Nationally, 56 genital surgeries among patients ages 13 to 17 with a prior gender dysphoria diagnosis from 2019 to 2021. 776 undergoing mastectomy with a prior gender dysphoria diagnosis from 2019 to 2021. It's a tiny number, but incorrect to say it doesn't happen.
NullTuples
(6,017 posts)Last edited Mon Jan 30, 2023, 04:03 PM - Edit history (1)
Regarding the doctor's decision:
Trans men are far more likely to have endometriosis* or uterine fibroids** than cis women & what I've found over the years is that nearly all trans bottom surgeries on say, younger than 17 years old (since they could be emancipated minors & that messes with the stats) are hysterectomies / ovo-hysterectomies. But even those are only done in the most extreme of cases. That meshes with other insurance stats I've seen and would likely account for the 0.000063% who had surgery of the 30 million teenage patients included in the study.
* 25% of trans men vs 10% of cis women
https://www.jmig.org/article/S1553-4650(21)00559-8/fulltext
** as high as 58%
https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S1028455916301280?token=ED1F9E15EDACFC04BB3B3C848AF7ADC85537EC98ECC04A7F507E00A89B9A6E82881F93CA9E07AC194F734F0034F2457C&originRegion=us-east-1&originCreation=20230130024643
Phoenix61
(17,003 posts)insurance claims with a gender dysphoria diagnosis and genital surgery. The assumption is that the surgery was strictly due to the diagnosis and not due to some other medical situation like being intersex. I cant find a hospital that will do genital surgery on a transgender person under the age of 18.
vercetti2021
(10,156 posts)California is close by and thankfully hopefully they can go there for treatment
ShazzieB
(16,378 posts)Of course, it sucks for people to have to go to a different state for medical treatment, but at least the possibility is there.
NullTuples
(6,017 posts)4,000 - 7,000 teens are currently on puberty blockers in the entire USA, adding around 1200 per year & about the same number dropping off after a few years as adults.
15,000 - 18,000 teens are on on hrt (hormone replacement therapy). These tend to overlap with maybe two thirds of the teens on blockers.
Again, this is for the entire USA, with a teen population of about 43 million, out of 332 million people total.
Total population of Utah is about 3 million, so that's approximately 390,000 teens in the state. That works out to about...64 teens on blockers in Utah. Estimated, based on averages only.
Insofar as surgeries go?
According to Reuters, there were 282 top surgeries performed for gender dysphoria in the entire USA in 2021.
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-transyouth-data/
Utah plastic surgeons *advertise* breast reduction surgery for cis teen boys; they are not covered by the ban because they reinforce gender norms.
My question for the legislators is, "Aren't those cis boys also having top surgery for gender dysphoria? Don't they feel unhappy that part of their body matches the wrong gender based on their gender identity?"
https://www.utahfacialplastics.com/2013/09/05/know-before-you-go-teen-plastic-surgery-in-utah/
maxsolomon
(33,316 posts)i don't think those 282 top surgeries were specifically for minors, correct?
NullTuples
(6,017 posts)(see the link in my comment above)
maxsolomon
(33,316 posts)vanishingly small, but that doesn't matter when you're Protecting The Children © against
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)vercetti2021
(10,156 posts)I hope any family with trans children leave for California for treatment. Fuck Cox
GB_RN
(2,350 posts)But with the corrupt SCOTUS looking to kill all 14th Amendment-related privacy protections, I wouldnt bet on Scammy Alito, Clarence Uncle Slappy Thomas, et al., agreeing.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)For one thing, 'we' almost never do when drugs go on the market. Nothing is held off the market on those sorts of grounds ... except this treatment apparently.
And for another, if you exit this planet in your teens or early 20's because you don't have these treatments ...
This is some shitty stuff.
But then ... Utah
NullTuples
(6,017 posts)But the real point is made clear when you realize that the exact same drugs and surgeries are allowed and culturally sometimes even encouraged for cisgender teens.
Puberty blockers are used for kids with precocious puberty. Estrogen & testosterone are used to manage puberty for cisgender teens. And top surgeries for both cisgender teen girls (augmentation) and boys (reduction) are done by hospitals and private plastic surgery centers.
But those are all deemed to reinforce the Republican views of a pure sex & gender binary, so they are allowed.
vercetti2021
(10,156 posts)I don't care if I get some bad side effect. Better to die being someone you are meant to be than to commit suicide or die miserable as the wrong gender.
ShazzieB
(16,378 posts)This is an outrage! Whether it's reproductive health care or determining the proper treatment for gender dysphoria, we're talking about medical issues that are the province of health care professionals. Semi-educated, narrow-minded legislators should not be able to make health care decisions for anyone but their own semi-educated, narrow-minded selves (and their unfortunate families).
These people are meddling in areas that are none of their damned business, and they need to get the fuck out of people's personal health care decisions!
littlemissmartypants
(22,632 posts)paleotn
(17,911 posts)they sure love government intruding on people's lives.
SouthernDem4ever
(6,617 posts)Leave people's health choices up to them and their doctor. Making laws about things you are not in position to make an informed judgement shows you are just a partisan hack out to win some votes at the expense of others.