Puerto Rico’s Senate recently voted to advance a bill that would ban health care for transgender youth under 21 on the island and punish parents or doctors who help youth receive this care with fines, jail time, and/or the revocation of medical licenses. The House of Representatives subsequently approved the bill, which now awaits the governor’s signature. Governor Jennifer González has 30 days to veto or sign the legislation.
Legislative Development and Governor Response
Parents of transgender youth previously lobbied Governor González to veto the bill. Instead, she returned it to the Senate for changes, enabling the recent vote to advance it. According to GLAAD and Puerto Rico’s Federación LGBTQ+, “Every major medical association supports health care for transgender people and youth. Banning this care and stripping the rights of parents to make the best medical decisions for their families would create unbearable burdens for the most marginalized in Puerto Rico.”
Unique Vulnerability in Territory
Unlike people in the continental U.S., Puerto Ricans would be unable to travel to friendly states to find alternative providers if the bill becomes law. Transgender people in the territory without significant financial resources would be effectively cut off from care. GLAAD emphasizes that marginalized people in U.S. territories already face greater threats and face a lack of options unavailable to their mainland counterparts.
Medical Consensus and Advocacy Response
Organizations in Puerto Rico including the ACLU and Federación LGBTQ+ denounced the Senate’s vote. GLAAD states the bill’s movement results “from an extreme environment of disinformation,” noting that nothing has changed about the safety and efficacy of the care being targeted. Every major medical association in the world supports health care for transgender people, according to advocacy organizations responding to the development.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://glaad.org/anti-transgender-bill-advances-in-puerto-rico-seeking-to-ban-lifesaving-care-for-youth-and-punish-parents-and-doctors/