Bill to bar elective breast surgeries on minors draws sharply divided testimony in Concord

CONCORD, N.H. — Senators heard deeply divided testimony on House Bill 712 Tuesday, a proposal to restrict gender‑affirming chest surgeries for minors while carving out narrow medical exceptions.

Sponsor Representative Lisa Mazer told the Senate Health and Human Services Committee the bill aims to protect children from irreversible body‑altering procedures performed before they are fully mature. “This bill is grounded in a simple but crucial question: Do children change their minds?” Mazer said, arguing that breast removal for cosmetic gender affirmation can cause lifelong loss of function and later regret. She framed the measure as a narrow protection for minors while preserving surgical options for clearly defined medical needs such as severe juvenile macromastia with posture or pain issues, reconstructive needs after trauma, and other listed exceptions.

The hearing attracted large public turnout and sharply…