Both houses of the Louisiana legislature voted Tuesday to override Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ veto of a bill banning sex changes in the state.
The state House of Representatives has voted 75 to 23 to overturn Governor Edward’s June 2023 veto. Three Democrats voted with Republicans in the House to overturn the veto. The state Senate voted 28 to 11 to override the ban, with Republican state Sen. Fred Mills voting with Democrats. Mills briefly killed the bill in committee in May, arguing that child sex-change decisions “should be made by a patient and a physician.”
In a statement explaining his veto, Edwards said the bill “takes away parental rights to work with a physician to make important healthcare decisions.” (RELATED: Drag Star Developed ‘Black Welts’ On Genitals Through ‘Tucking’ Recommended To Kids)
Republicans in the Louisiana state legislature hold a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers as of March 2023, after Democrat Rep. Francis Thompson switched parties.
🚨🚨BREAKING: The Louisiana State Senate just voted 28-11 to override the veto of Gov. John Bel Edwards on the bill to ban child sex change procedures.
The House did it earlier today so it’s now the law.
All the southern states have officially banned child gender mutilations.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 18, 2023
Louisiana now prohibits health professionals from performing any medical intervention — including prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and performing sex-change surgeries — that would alter a minor’s appearance to coincide with his or her “gender identity.” The law carves out an exception for those born with a “medically verifiable disorder of sexual development.” Doctors who violate the law could lose their license to practice medicine.
“We congratulate the legislature of Louisiana for overriding the governor’s veto and striking a blow for the safety of the youth of Louisiana,” Stanley Goldfarb, Chairman of Do No Harm, told the Daily Caller in a statement. “So-called gender-affirming care has now been rejected by multiple European nations that realize that it produces more harm than good. Louisiana joins these enlightened healthcare systems and strikes a blow for the scientific approach to medical care.”
In 2021, the Louisiana state Senate failed to muster the required votes to override Edwards’ veto of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which would have prohibited biological males from participating in female sports.