POLITICS + GOVERNMENT

Senate committee gives ok for chamber to hear two different bills centered on trans youth

Jan 17, 2023, 7:30 PM | Updated: Jan 18, 2023, 4:47 pm

A bill that could make its way to the Utah legislature in the 2023 session would require school dis...

The Utah State Capitol is pictured in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sen. Dan McCay (R-Riverton) is sponsoring a bill that would call for a slight redesign of the new Utah State Flag that was unveiled late last year. (Kira Hoffelmeyer/ KSL NewsRadio)

(Kira Hoffelmeyer/ KSL NewsRadio)

BY LINDSAY AERTS

KSLNewsRadio

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SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah Senate committee gave the okay for the full chamber to hear both a bill on banning transgender-related surgeries and another bill centered on transgender youth Wednesday afternoon.

Two other bills addressing concerns around transgender youth are scheduled to be debated Wednesday, the second day of the 2023 Utah Legislative Session.

Sen. Mike Kennedy (R-Alpine) has a bill that would punish doctors who perform transgender-related surgeries on minors. An amendment to his bill would add restrictions on puberty blockers.

“I want this bill to be firm,” he said. “I want it to be responsible and I want it to be compassionate.”

In the future, he insists that the law will only change the rules between patients and doctors.

Additionally, Kennedy admits this could be opening the door to lawsuits.

The Health and Human Services Committee will also hear debate on two other transgender-related bills. The first prevents minors from changing their birth certificates. The second prohibits schools from allowing students to change their preferred pronouns without the permission of a parent.

Mark Jones contributed to this article.

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