Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday signed into law a bill banning sex changes surgeries and cross sex hormones in the state.
Under Senate Bill 613, doctors could lose their license to operate and be guilty of a felony if they “knowingly provide gender transition procedures to any child.” The bill passed 73 to 18 in the House and 37 to 8 in the Senate. Parents can sue doctors on behalf of their children, and individuals who received sex changes as children can sue any time before their 45th birthday. (RELATED: Biden Admin Advocate For Child Sex Changes Kicks Off Adolescent Health Month With Resources On ‘Sexual’ Health)
“Last year, I called for a statewide ban on all irreversible gender transition surgeries and hormone therapies on minors so I am thrilled to sign this into law today and protect our kids,” Stitt said. “We cannot turn a blind eye to what’s happening across our nation, and as governor I am proud to stand up for what’s right and ban life-altering transition surgeries on children in the state of Oklahoma.”
I just signed into law a statewide ban on all gender transition surgeries and hormone therapies for children under 18. We must protect our kids!https://t.co/BJlX4BBY4c
— Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) May 2, 2023
Stitt called on lawmakers in the state to ban the procedures in October 2022, as he was signing a bill which blocked public funds from being used to perform sex changes on minors at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital at OU Health.
“I am calling for the Legislature to ban all irreversible gender transition surgeries and hormone therapies on minors when they convene next session in February 2023,” he said. “We cannot turn a blind eye to what’s happening all across our nation, and as governor I will not allow life-altering transition surgeries on minor children in the state of Oklahoma.”
Critics have attacked the bill as “discriminatory, unnecessary, and cruelly targeted.” The Human Rights Campaign urged Stitt not to sign last week, arguing that transitions are “age-appropriate care.”