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Utah Senate advances SB 16 banning some youth transgender medical procedures to third reading amid heated debate
Summary
After extended floor debate, the Utah Senate on day three voted 21–7, with one absent, to move first substitute Senate Bill 16 — a package that bans certain surgical procedures for minors, pauses initiation of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors, and changes negligence statutes — to third reading.
Senator Kennedy, the bill sponsor, presented first substitute Senate Bill 16 as a ban on irreversible surgical procedures for minors, a moratorium on initiating puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors, and an extension of statutes of limitation for negligence claims against providers. Kennedy said the scientific evidence for these treatments in minors is "weak or very weak," cited changes in some European countries that have limited similar care, and said the bill is designed to "hold harmless" those who have already "initiated treatment."
During questions, Senator Plumb sought clarification on what the bill means by "initiate treatment," asking whether the term covers evaluation, counseling or only medication. Kennedy…
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