HB 26-1087

HB 26-1087, which has been signed into law in Colorado, bans doctors and mental health professionals from providing certain treatments to minors that alter their biological sex characteristics. This includes surgeries, hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and counseling aimed at affirming a minor's gender identity or suggesting they need medical intervention due to distress about their biological sex. The law also prevents schools and healthcare providers from hiding information from parents if their child expresses a desire to transition, and it stops state funding for these treatments. Healthcare professionals who violate this law can lose their licenses and face criminal penalties. This affects minors seeking gender-affirming care and the medical professionals who provide such services.

Official Summary

The bill prohibits a person, health-care provider, or mental health professional from knowingly performing surgery on, or prescribing, administering, or providing hormones or puberty blockers to, a minor for the purpose of altering the minor's biological sex characteristics, or providing mental health therapy, counseling, or referrals that promote or affirm a minor's belief that the minor was born in the wrong body or that the minor needs medical intervention to address distress related to the minor's biological sex (prohibited interventions).     The bill prohibits the state from investigating or penalizing a minor's parent, or terminating the parent's rights, for refusing to consent to a prohibited intervention for the minor. A public school, health-care provider, or a governmental entity is prohibited from withholding information from a minor's parent regarding the minor's express desire to transition the minor's biological sex.     The bill prohibits state or federal funding, medicaid reimbursement, and health insurance coverage from being used to pay for a prohibited intervention. A person who, as a minor, was subjected to a prohibited intervention may bring a civil action within 20 years after attaining the age of 18 years against the person, health-care provider, or mental health professional who performed or provided the prohibited intervention.     The bill requires a regulator to revoke a health-care provider's or mental health professional's license for performing or providing a prohibited intervention. A person who knowingly performs or provides a prohibited intervention commits a class 5 felony, and the court is required to sentence the person to the maximum term of imprisonment and impose the maximum fine.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Topics

Votes