Puerto Rico slammed for banning trans healthcare for under-21s: ‘Cruel and inhumane’

Puerto Rico has enacted a law banning gender-affirming care for under-21s in a major blow for LGBTQ+ rights in the region.

The US territory’s governor, Jennifer González-Colón, signed a bill prohibiting hormone therapy and sexual-reassignment surgeries, which are not performed on trans youth, late Wednesday (16 July).

Medical practitioners found in violation of the bill could face a $50,000 fine and up to 15 years in prison. The bill also forbids public funds from being used for trans care for under-21s.

“Minors, having not yet reached the necessary emotional, cognitive, and physical maturity, are particularly vulnerable to making decisions that can have irreversible consequences,” the law reads. “Therefore, it is the State’s duty to ensure their comprehensive well-being.”

Under Puerto Rican law, legal adulthood, known as the age of majority, begins at 21, meaning the law is one of the most restrictive of any US state or territory.

Puerto Rico trans care ban ‘cruel and inhumane’

In a statement on Thursday, Puerto Rico’s LGBTQ+ Federation heavily criticised the law’s passage, with its director, Justin Jesús Santiago, vowing to challenge its provisions.

“Let there be no doubt: We will go to court to challenge the constitutionality of the governor’s cruel and inhumane signing of a law that criminalises health professionals for caring for trans minors.”

Several Puerto Rico institutions representing a variety of medical practitioners have also urged the governor to veto the trans healthcare bill, according to CBS News.

Over half a dozen US states have introduced bans on gender-affirming care for trans youth, with many banning medical provisions for under-19s.

According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), 40.1 per cent of trans youth in the US aged 13-17 are living in states that have passed laws banning gender-affirming care, including in two states, Akransas and Montana, where the laws are on hold or have been blocked through court orders.

“Gender-affirming care is age-appropriate care that is medically necessary for the well-being of many transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive people who experience symptoms of gender dysphoria,” a statement from the HRC explains.

“By preventing doctors from providing this care or threatening to take children away from parents who support their child in their transition, these bills prevent transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive youth from accessing medically necessary, safe health care backed by decades of research and supported by every major medical association representing over 1.3 million US doctors.”