Kansas Gov. Kelly vetoes ban on gender treatments for minors

Twenty-three states have banned gender-related surgeries and treatments for minors, while Arizona has only banned surgeries.

By Ben Whedon

Published: April 12, 2024 9:43pm

Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday vetoed legislation that would have banned certain gender-related treatments for minors.

The "Substitute Bill for Senate Bill 233" would have banned gender surgeries and hormone treatments for minors and establish a civil means of action against healthcare providers who perform them.

Kelly vetoed the legislation, stating it "targets a small group of Kansans by placing government mandates on them and dictating to parents how to best raise and care for their children. I do not believe that is a conservative value, and it’s certainly not a Kansas value."

"The last place that I would want to be as a politician is between a parent and a child who needed medical care of any kind. And, yet, that is exactly what this legislation does," she continued. "If the legislature paid this much attention to the other 99.8% of students, we’d have the best schools on earth."

Twenty-three states have banned gender-related surgeries and treatments for minors, while Arizona has only banned surgeries, according to the pro-LGBT Movement Advancement Project.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.