CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice on Wednesday signed a bill banning transgender treatment for minors, joining at least 10 other states that have enacted laws restricting or outlawing medical treatments for transgender youth.
The bill outlaws those under 18 from being prescribed hormone therapy and puberty blockers. It also bans minors from receiving transgender surgery, something physicians say doesn’t even happen in West Virginia.
Unlike measures passed in other states, however, West Virginia’s law contains a unique exemption: It permits doctors to prescribe medical therapy if a teenager is considered at risk for self-harm or suicide.
Under the law, which will take effect in January 2024, a patient can be prescribed puberty blockers and hormone therapy after receiving parental consent and a diagnosis of severe gender dysphoria from two clinicians, including a mental health provider or an adolescent medicine specialist.
Both practitioners must be trained to diagnose and treat young people with severe gender dysphoria and provide written testimony that medical interventions are necessary to prevent or limit possible or actual self-harm.