Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves on Tuesday signed into law a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors, a move decried by LGBTQ rights advocates as a “devastating development” for transgender youth in the state.
House Bill 1125, which went into effect immediately, penalizes parents and doctors who “aid and abet” transgender youth seeking gender-affirming care. This medical care is considered “a supportive form of healthcare” that improves “the mental health and overall well-being of gender-diverse children and adolescents,” according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The new law allows for doctors to be sued by their former patients within a 30-year statute of limitations.
