JEFFERSON CITY — Bills indefinitely extending the ban on gender affirming care for minors were given initial approval following heated debate Monday in the house.
House Bills 2033, 1608, 1672 and 1854 seek to remove the expiration date from an existing law passed in 2023, known as the “Missouri Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act”.
The “SAFE Act,” which prohibits doctors from providing gender affirming care to any individual under the age of 18, included a stipulation ending its effects Aug. 28, 2027, commonly referred to as a sunset provision.
The new bill, sponsored by Rep. Melissa Schmidt, R-Eldrige, removes the provision, which would make the ban on care permanent.
“The sunset has given additional time for more scientific information in regards to the best approach in helping children navigate this very serious condition,” Schmidt said.
Rep. Elizabeth Fuchs, D-St. Louis, argued for the importance of the sunset provision, feeling its revocation would be hasty.
“Sunsets are benchmarks for evaluation,” Fuchs said. “They're put in place so we as a legislative body can pause to evaluate to make the right decision.”
Rep. Brian Seitz, R-Branson, was insistent that the sunset provision was wholly unnecessary.
“This is current law and needs to remain law,” said Seitz. “This bill simply removes the sunset on a bill that the previous governor signed.”
Republicans also spoke on what they saw as negative mental health effects caused by “experimentation on minors,” referring to gender affirming care.
Rep. Wick Thomas, D-Kansas City, the first openly transgender and gender nonconforming elected official in the state, directly addressed transgender youth in Missouri, reassuring them amid threats to healthcare access and rebutting Republican claims of gender care’s ties to mental health problems.
“Just know I was one of you. I was one of you, and I never had any concerns, I never had an issue around who I was,” Thomas said. “What affected my mental health was the rhetoric coming out of rooms like this, which is the criminalization of LGBT people.”