Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
LGBTQ+ Youth Conversion Therapy Set To Be Banned In Utah, Minnesota
The Utah Senate on Friday unanimously approved legislation to ban certain health care providers from practicing conversion therapy on minors, moving the legislature closer to codifying rules set by the state government in 2020. (Migdon, 2/17)
The Minnesota House of Representatives passed a bill Monday with bipartisan support that bans what鈥檚 called conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth and 鈥渧ulnerable adults.鈥 After hours of at times emotional debate, the DFL-led chamber voted 81-47 to prohibit mental health professionals from providing therapy aimed at changing a person鈥檚 sexual orientation or gender identity.聽(Ferguson, 2/20)
Meanwhile, in moves against trans health care 鈥
As the Wyoming Legislature enters its seventh week, four pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation are still in play. They have each cleared the Wyoming Senate and must now pass in the State House of Representatives if they are to become law. Two of these bills seek to outlaw various forms of gender-affirming care. The third is a close copy of Florida's much-discussed "Don't Say Gay" bill and limits what teachers can say in the classroom about gender identity and sexual orientation. (Victor, 2/20)
A Senate committee on Monday approved legislation restricting gender-related health care for minors, moving the plan closer to debate before the entire upper chamber. Passage of the restrictions by the Senate Emerging Issues Committee comes less than a week after the panel held a hearing on the legislation, illustrating the urgency Republicans have placed on the issue since the release of a report earlier this month alleging irreparable harm to vulnerable patients at a St. Louis transgender center for youth patients. (Suntrup, 2/20)
The North Dakota House passed gender-related bills Friday that would omit transgender identity from state data collection and criminalize health care providers who give gender-affirming care to minors. The bills still need to go through the Senate and governor to become law. (Ahmed, 2/17)
Separately, on developments relating to abortion, reproductive rights 鈥
In Montana, a state lawmaker who is an ordained Jewish rabbi argues religious freedom laws that protect health care workers鈥 religious beliefs should also protect abortion rights for those who belong to religions that support such rights. 鈥淚t seems that both sides should be permitted to have equal protections for their religious conscience,鈥 said Rep. Ed Stafman, a Democrat. (Beth Hanson, 2/18)
The White House rebuked Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin this week for supporting state lawmakers鈥 rejection of a bill that that would have prohibited police from issuing search warrants for digitized data about women鈥檚 menstrual cycles. (2/18)
All five of Colorado鈥檚 Democratic U.S. representatives are condemning a decision by Mercy Hospital in Durango to stop allowing women to get their tubes tied, issuing a joint statement Thursday urging the Catholic hospital to reconsider.聽(Brown, 2/16)