Jefferson City, Missouri – In a controversial move, the state’s Republican Governor, Mike Parson, signed a set of bills on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, that impose significant restrictions on access to puberty blockers, hormones, and gender-affirming surgeries for transgender minors and certain adults in the state of Missouri. In addition, the bills limit the ability of transgender girls and women to participate in female sports teams across all levels of education, from kindergarten through college. Both public and private schools will be held accountable under these new laws, which are set to take effect from August 28.
Following the enforcement of these laws, health care providers within Missouri will be prohibited from prescribing gender-affirming treatments to children and teenagers. While the majority of adults will still retain the right to access transgender health care, Medicaid will no longer cover such treatments, presenting significant financial barriers to those who rely on the program. Further financial challenges will be posed to prisoners in the state, who, under the new laws, will be required to personally finance their gender-affirming surgeries.
Governor Parson has justified the bills with the argument that hormones, puberty blockers, and gender-affirming surgeries constitute “harmful, irreversible treatments and procedures” for minors. He maintains that it is the state’s responsibility to protect children from making potentially regrettable, life-altering decisions before they reach an age of full physical and emotional maturity.
This legislation has been met with staunch opposition from leading medical organizations across the country, including the American Medical Association. These bodies have voiced their support for the provision of gender-affirming care for youth, provided that it is administered in an appropriate and careful manner. Similar bans imposed in other states have sparked a series of lawsuits, and Missouri’s laws may provoke similar legal actions.
An additional measure signed by Governor Parson serves to ban transgender girls and women from participating in female sports teams from kindergarten to college. The repercussions for violating this law are severe; both public and private schools may lose all state funding if found in noncompliance.
These new laws have faced severe criticism from various quarters. Shira Berkowitz, a representative of the state’s LGBTQ+ advocacy group PROMO, criticized Governor Parson and the state government for their lack of regard for the lives and well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly transgender and gender-expansive youth.
As part of a compromise with Senate Democrats, the laws are slated to expire in 2027. However, in the lead-up to the signing of the bills, Governor Parson placed considerable pressure on the Republican-led Legislature to pass the measures during the final weeks of its session. He even went so far as to threaten to extend the session past its scheduled conclusion on May 12 if the bills were not passed.
Missouri’s move to enact such restrictions forms part of a broader nationwide push by conservative factions to impose increasingly stringent controls on the lives of transgender and nonbinary individuals. The issue has emerged as a major theme in state legislative sessions throughout the country, occupying a place of prominence alongside debates over abortion.
Given the controversial nature of these laws, they may well face legal challenges in the near future. The ACLU of Missouri has previously hinted at its intention to oppose the bans and seek to expand the rights of transgender Missourians. In anticipation of the law taking effect, Planned Parenthood clinics across Missouri have increased their availability of appointments and begun holding pop-up clinics to initiate patients on treatments. The impact of these laws, both immediate and long-term, will be closely watched by advocates and critics alike as they come into force.