Oklahoma bill seeks to ban gender reassignment treatment for those under 21
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — An Oklahoma lawmaker wants to prevent those under the age of 21 from undergoing gender reassignment procedures and treatment.
State Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, filed Senate Bill 676, which would make it illegal for someone under 21 to undergo gender reassignment medical treatment or for a health care professional to intentionally perform that treatment.
The bill defines "gender reassignment medical treatment" as any health care to facilitate the transitioning from a patient's assigned gender identity on the patient's birth certificate.
“These procedures and transitions are life-altering, and this decision shouldn’t be made by those unable to see the long-term effects of such treatments,” Hamilton said in a press release. “My concern is many of these children may be convinced by society at a young age that they are not the gender they were born as. It’s completely normal, for example, for girls to be ‘tomboys,’ but that doesn’t mean they should be a boy. Let’s leave these important decisions to adults.”
It would also make it illegal for a parent or guardian of a child under the age of 18 to obtain gender reassignment treatment for the child.
Under the bill, a person who breaks the new law would be guilty of a felony with a punishment of three years up to life in prison, as well as a fine up to $20,000.
If signed into law, the measure would go into effect on Nov. 1, 2022.
