JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri’s Republican-controlled House gave final approval Thursday to legislation restricting gender-related care for transgender adolescents.
The 103-52 vote sets up a showdown with the GOP-led Senate over competing proposals affecting transgender rights, with just four weeks left in the Legislature’s annual session.
A Senate compromise now pending in the House allows current transgender patients to continue with treatment and contains a four-year expiration date on prohibitions of puberty blockers and hormone therapy, which would apply to future patients. The House legislation contains no such exceptions.
The House version also restricts gender-related care for inmates and bars Medicaid payments for gender-related surgeries, hormone therapies and puberty blockers for gender transitions.
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“Sex changes and kids are things that should never go together,†said Rep. Brad Hudson, R-Cape Fair, who sponsored the measure.
Two Republicans, including House Majority Leader Jon Patterson of Lee’s Summit and Rep. Chris Sander of Lone Jack, voted against the proposal. Rep. Tony Lovasco, R-O’Fallon, voted “present.â€
Patterson, a physician, said he differed with fellow Republicans on whether there should be treatment “in instances that are exceedingly rare, narrowly tailored and thoroughly studied,†he said. “I think there ought to be a chance for that.â€
House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, warned Republicans that they risk triggering outbursts on the floor by continuing to push volatile issues.
“If we don’t stop it, we’re going to be like Tennessee,†Quade said, referencing the expulsion of two Black lawmakers there. “You’re letting the culture wars take over your souls.â€
“Do you ever put yourself in someone else’s shoes?†asked Rep. Ian Mackey, a ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Democrat. “How freaking awful.â€
Rep. Barbara Phifer, D-Kirkwood, said she has a transgender grandchild who won’t live in Missouri because of the proposed law.
“If he had his preference, this child would have lived in Missouri,†Phifer said. “You all want to make him illegal. You are erasing my grandchild. This is a shame.â€
Republicans cut off debate on the matter and accused Democrats of encouraging partisan strife.
“A lot of the emotional problems on this have come from the other side,†said Hudson, the sponsor.
Missouri is among several Republican-led states where lawmakers are pushing for limits on transgender rights.
In February, Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced he was investigating the Washington University Transgender Center at ºüÀêÊÓƵ Children’s Hospital following allegations of mistreatment by a former employee. The ex-worker alleged physicians did not warn patients and parents about potential side effects of puberty blockers and hormones.
Bailey is seeking a full, four-year term after being appointed to the seat by Gov. Mike Parson.
On Thursday, Bailey signed off on emergency regulations he said are designed to put sweeping “guardrails†on medical care for transgender persons, regardless of age, including prohibiting transitions if a medical provider fails to ensure that a patient has received a full psychiatric assessment consisting of at least 15 separate hourly sessions.
Bailey had previously only mentioned new rules for minors. But on Thursday, the regulations released did not include age limits, and his office acknowledged it:
“We have serious concerns about how children are being treated throughout the state, but we believe everyone is entitled to evidence-based medicine and adequate mental health care,†Bailey spokeswoman Madeline Sieren said.
Bailey’s emergency regulation becomes effective April 27 and expires Feb. 6, 2024.
While proponents have said they are trying to protect minors from life-altering medical decisions they might later regret, opponents have characterized the push as an attack on the transgender community.
“This is as personal as it gets,†said Rep. Peter Merideth, D-ºüÀêÊÓƵ. “History is going to remember you.â€
Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, has said legislation that differs with the Senate’s would face long odds in the upper chamber. The Senate isn’t required to take up the House bill, and another protracted Senate debate could imperil other priorities in the closing weeks of session.
The House plan would take effect six months from the date Parson signs it.
Hudson said six months would be “a reasonable off-ramp†for children on puberty blockers or receiving hormone therapy.
The legislation is .
Jack Suntrup of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
Editor's note: The story has been updated to correct the description of restrictions contained in the final version of the new legislation.Â
"Gender-affirming health care will be very challenging to access for transgender adults and transgender youth going forward," said Shira Berkowitz, spokesperson for the Missouri advocacy group PROMO.