GOP Utah Gov Signs Anti-Trans Youth Healthcare Ban

The Salt Lake Tribune reports:

Gov. Spencer Cox signed two hotly debated bills Saturday: one that will create the largest school voucher program in state history, and another that will ban most gender-affirming health care for transgender youth.

The controversial measures, which have drawn protest and debate since they were introduced, are the first two bills Cox has signed this legislative session, his office said. SB16 was sponsored by Sen. Mike Kennedy, R-Alpine, and it bars doctors from prescribing hormone therapy for minors who have been diagnosed with “gender dysphoria.”

In signing the SB16 ban into law, Cox acknowledged it raised a “terribly divisive issue,” but said “experts, states and countries around the world are pausing these permanent and life-altering treatments,” awaiting new research. He also pledged to push for more resources for organizations that support transgender youth.

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