Missouri AG, lawmakers advance restrictions on gender transitions for minors

The morning after Missouri’s attorney general announced emergency regulations for cross-sex treatments for minors, state senators finally advanced two bills with similar restrictions.

The new regulations from AG Andrew Bailey, announced Monday, will establish rigorous guardrails to protect gender-dysphoric youth, including requiring more thorough psychiatric assessments, autism screening, and ensuring patients aren’t being socially pressured into transitioning.

“Even Europe recognizes that mutilating children for the sake of a woke, leftist agenda has irreversible consequences, and countries like Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom have all sharply curtailed these procedures,” Bailey said in a statement.

“I am dedicated to using every legal tool at my disposal to stand in the gap and protect children from being subject to inhumane science experiments,” he concluded.

Early Tuesday morning, two related Senate bills were finally perfected after being held up for weeks by Democratic lawmakers, who reportedly continued to stall by holding the floor for 13 hours on Monday.

SB 49, the “Missouri Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act,” forbids medical providers from giving cross-sex hormones, puberty-blockers or sex-change surgery to minors.  

SB 39 would prevent transgender girls – biological boys who transition genders – from competing in girls sports.  

In order to advance the bills, Republican lawmakers agreed to sunset the legislation in 2027 and to exempt minors currently undergoing transgender treatments from the restrictions of SB 49, according to local KMOV. 

Senate President Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, tweeted about the “strong set of policies aimed at protecting Missouri kids” on Tuesday.

I am proud of our entire @MoSenateGOP caucus for uniting behind this strong set of policies aimed at protecting Missouri kids.

These are not easy issues to tackle. I appreciate the work of @hrehder and @realmikemoon in shepherding these bills to passage. There is no cause more…

— Caleb Rowden (@calebrowden) March 21, 2023

Rowden said in December he hoped the legislature would address such issues, calling the medical transition of minors “asinine.”  

When a former employee of the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Transgender Clinic blew the whistle on its “appalling” practices in February, lawmakers moved quickly to address the issue. However, the Democratic filibuster which followed prevented the Republican-led legislation from moving. 

“This should be non-controversial,” tweeted Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft on Tuesday. “All kids goes (sic) through an awkward phase, pushing ‘dysphoria’ and life-altering changes is not defensible.”

This should be non-controversial – children should not be allowed to have gender-altering "treatment." All kids goes through an awkward phase, pushing "dysphoria" and life-altering changes is not defensible. Get your act together Republicans – pass SB 49!https://t.co/mS1zhUysoM

— Jay Ashcroft (@JayAshcroftMO) March 21, 2023

Bailey’s emergency regulations will expire after 180 days or 30 legislative days, whichever is longer. 

The Senate is expected to pass the bills in a final vote as early as this week.