A law to stop “gender reassignment medical therapy” at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital at OU Health was signed by Governor Kevin Stitt (R) on Tuesday.
As soon as Governor Stitt gave his approval, the law became operative.
“We are protecting children from permanent gender transition operations and therapies by enacting this legislation today. Taxpayer funds should never be used to support, promote, or carry out these types of contentious treatments on healthy youngsters” Governor Stitt said.
The children’s hospital made the announcement last week that it will stop providing “some gender medicine services” as a result of new financing limits included by the state legislature to the bill.
The Roy G. Biv program offered gender-related services to children at the time, according to the hospital’s website, including “pausing puberty to further research sexual identity” with puberty blockers. The children’s hospital also promised to assist minors in locating doctors who would operate on them to change their gender.
The hospital is the “only cross – disciplinary facility in the state that offers gender-affirming care to children under the age of 16,” according to the website.
The Oklahoma Children’s Hospital recently changed the services offered on its website.
The hospital’s website currently states “that it has stopped performing hormone-related medication therapy and surgical techniques for sexual identity services on children younger than 18 in light of the law passed by Governor Stitt.”
While claiming that it was “excellent news,” Governor Stitt contended that it “does not go far enough” to protect the children. In the upcoming legislative session, the governor encouraged state legislators to enact a permanent, comprehensive ban on gender change procedures and hormone blockers.
He declared, “When they meet for their next session in February 2023, I’m urging the Legislature to outlaw all irreversible gender transition procedures and hormone treatments on kids. We cannot remain silent about what is taking place around the country, and in my capacity as governor of Oklahoma, I will not permit life-changing transition surgery on young kids.”
In accordance with the new legislation, Oklahoma Children’s Hospital will receive funding from ARPA totaling almost $40 million to expand its capacity for treating children with behavioral health issues, $20 million for patients with cancer, $44 million for electronic medical record systems, and $5 million for mobile dental units.
