HB712

HB 377 and HB 712 This bill blocks essential medical care for a small minority of youth who have gender dysphoria, a unique medical and psychological condition that may seem uncomfortable to persons who have little or no medical knowledge or experience. Gender dysphoria is an intensely sensitive and personal condition in individuals who are often ostracized and ridiculed. This bill inserts the public between the patient and the trained licensed professional. It is a direct violation of the doctor patient relationship. Physicians and parents are the most qualified to address the needs of these often-fragile individuals, who seek acknowledgement and acceptance of their identity. Supportive psychological and medical care is lifesaving for these individuals. It is not the purview of laymen to legislate the medical care for gender dysphoria any more than they should legislate medical care for diabetes or heart disease. Singling out gender dysphoria is discriminatory, intimidating and harmful to the youth who want and need acceptance for who they are. I strongly oppose this bill. Cathryn Welch, MD

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There are young women who need surgery to be comfortable. I knew a girl in high school who needed reduction surgery, and my wife knew someone as well. Criminalizing this and specifically including a provision to promote lawsuits against the surgeons performing the procedures is nonsensical and harmful. Please oppose this.

I write today in opposition to HB712 and HB 377. The state should not involve itself in the relationships between patients, their families, and health care professionals. It is an incredible invasion of privacy for the patients, and interferes with the professional obligations of surgeons, doctors, and other health care workers to provide evidence-based care for their patients. When it comes to young people and children, their parents or caregivers and their health care providers should be involved with the patient in decision making to decide what is in the child's best interest - not legislators, neighbors, or activists with an agenda. As a woman who receives my health care in the state of New Hampshire, one of the most important things to me is that the relationship between me and my primary care provider is private, trustworthy, and personalized for my situation. The government should not be involved in health care decisions, whether on the basis of cost, personal preference, timing, or anything else. We need the freedom to make up our minds for ourselves and our families with advice that we trust. These bills ignore science. To start, "biologic female" and "biologic male" are not defined terms. The Journal "Nature" published an article in 2015 noting that "Some researchers now say that as many as 1 person in 100 has some form of DSD" (DSD is the medical terminology for intersex conditions.) The article lists numerous conditions that would rule out defining a person as a "biologic" male or female based on chromosomes, hormones, genes, and physical characteristics. The Journal "Cell" published a similar article in 2024, again clarifying that from a scientific perspective there are not just two sexes. These bills make no provision for how intersex people will be treated. In addition, the care this bill aims to prevent - gender-affirming care for transgender and non-binary young people - has been researched and when it is warranted has important benefits that protect young people who are at risk.The Health and Human Services Fact Sheet on Gender Affirming Care for young people notes "Medical and psychosocial gender affirming healthcare practices have been demonstrated to yield lower rates of adverse mental health outcomes, build self-esteem, and improve overall quality of life for transgender and gender diverse youth." Please do not advance these bills, for the sake of the privacy, dignity, logic, and health of New Hampshire residents. Sarah Morton Campton, NH

Blanket legislation applied to personal medical issues is unsafe and inappropriate.

I am firmly opposed to this and all other Bills attempting to restrict the access of trans folks to the healthcare they need to live healthy and happy lives. There is simply no argument for blocking access to healthcare for kids who need it. Choices of how and when to access what type of care should be in the hands of the child and their parents, and be between them and their doctors without interference from the state. I urge the committee to oppose this bill

We trust healthcare professionals to deliver our babies, help us recover from illness and injury, and we rely on their medical expertise. We need to let them do their job which is to practice medicine. Members of the NH Legislature are not qualified to make medical decisions. Stay in your lanes.

I trust my healthcare providers to practice medicine in the manner in which they were trained to do so. Members of the NH Legislature are not qualified to make medical decisions. Stay in your lanes. Llet medical professionals practice medicine.

Legislators have no business interfering with deeply personal medical decisions that are not theirs to make.

Legislators should not be making medical decisions. Whether a child receives breast treatment or not should be up to a child, her/his family, and their physician. I am not sure why the Legislature of a State that prides itself on the motto, "Live Free or Die" continually tries to regulate such personal and intimate decisions.

Dear Members of the Committee, I am writing to strongly oppose HB 712. Please remember our state has traditionally been a. supporter of parental rights. This bill undermines parental rights. Additionally, transgender teens, like all teens, have the best chance to thrive when they can get the health care they need and when they are supported in their schools, their communities, and their families. The government should not be getting in the middle of decisions made by patients, their parents, and their health providers. Please defend NH's parental rights by finding HB 712 ITL. Thank you, KImberly Shaw

This bill will harm trans people and denies the scientific reality that these forms of medical treatment not only improve the quality of life of trans individuals but may in some cases save their lives. Denying access to medications or medical procedures does nothing to protect trans youth in our state, and is nothing more than a cynical attempt to erase the reality of transgender people, who have recently become the target of discriminatory legislation that seeks to reduce or eliminate their visibility in society, and to bully, harass, and intimidate them in both public and private spaces, while denying them access to facilities and services that are the right of all. I strongly oppose this bill.

I VEHEMENTLY OPPOSE THIS BILL! Fear mongering at its finest!

As a school social worker I believe that transgender teens, like all teens, have the best chance to thrive when they can get the health care they need and when they are supported in their schools, their communities, and their families. The government should not be getting in the middle of decisions made by patients, their parents, and their health providers.

It is a parent's job to make medical decisions for their child, not the government. This bill infringes on parental rights. Politicians are not medical experts. Butt out of families personal lives.

Gender affirming care is health care. Adults and youth of all ages deserve to get the treatment they need to make themselves feel comfortable in their own bodies. Healthcare professionals are doing their best to help their patients in any way possible and should not be punished for it. Get politics out of the exam rooms.

I oppose this bill and I’m very concerned that people are spending this much time thinking about other children’s breasts.

Gender affirming care is an essential component of compassionate care that allows for individualization of healthcare. Limiting access to medications or surgical procedures in this capacity inhibits a healthcare provider's ability to fully care for their patients' physical, emotional and sexual well-being.

The reality is that there are guidelines used by doctors that already advise against breast surgery for those under 18 years of age. The breasts must be fully developed in order to do breast augmentation or reduction. The FDA does not approve of breast augmentations for those under 18. In regards to breast surgery to align someone's gender with themselves, doctors already put timelines and expectations in place to prevent someone getting breast surgery, either reduction or augmentation, and then regretting it later. These decisions are to be made by a person, their medical professionals, and if under 18 their parents/guardians. In short, keep your laws off people’s bodies.

Here's another one! Manipulating transgender issues for political gain and undermining family decision making. You're lack of understanding and unwillingness to learn is destructive and unbecoming for a legislator. Our citizens deserve more leadership and compassion.

I urge you to vote ITL or no on this legislation. Even in the text of the bill where the estimated cost is discussed NH DHHS states that the occurrence of this type of surgery is "extremely rare". The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) opposes legislation that bans gender-affirming care for transgender and gender diverse people. WPATH's Standards of Care (SOC) are based on science and evidence. These standards are recognized by the major medical associations in the United States. it is not the place of the people of NH to "vote" on health care. this is between the person in question, Their family if they are still under 18, and the medical professionals. for the live free or die state we are doing a lot of paying attention to things that are none of anyone else's concern. I can also tell you that as a transmasculine person who has had top surgery that this was by far one of the most incredible and affirming things in my life. My only regret is that I wasn't able to do it sooner. In fact studies show that folks who regret gender affirming surgery is less than 1% which compared to most other surgeries is significantly lower. The process to get to a point where this is happening doesn't happen easily or overnight...or at school the way Trump would have you believe in his campaign speeches. This legislation isn't needed and isn't the jurisdiction of legislation. it is one more piece of legislation in the stack of bills targeting transgender and gender non-conforming people and needs to stop. Tye Thompson Nottingham, NH

The legislature does not have a medical license. Stop trying to legislate things that should be between doctors and their patients. Please oppose this bill

Stop regulating other peoples bodies. Your opinion has nothing to do with a persons human rights!