Des Moines, IA—Today, behind closed doors and without public notice, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill that will outlaw gender-affirming health care for Iowa youth and a bill that doesn’t allow transgender students in elementary and secondary schools to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity.
The gender affirming care ban, HF 623, prohibits Iowa doctors from prescribing puberty blockers and hormone therapy to transgender youth under 18. Additionally, it prohibits any surgeries on minors intended to affirm a gender that does not match the person’s sex at birth.
“Gender-affirming care is essential, lifesaving, and supported by every credible medical organization in the United States. This is not about Iowans’ health or safety: it is about politicians taking away young people’s bodily autonomy and control,” said Mazie Stilwell, Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa. “Iowa’s youth and transgender people deserve so much better from our elected representatives. We want all transgender and gender expansive youth in Iowa to know that we see you. You are loved. And you are deserving of respect and autonomy.”
The ban on gender affirming health care is part of a larger assault by politicians on Iowa’s youth. Lawmakers are also pushing through “Don’t Say Gay/Trans” legislation that would prohibit schools from providing instruction related to sexual orientation or gender identity before seventh grade.
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Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa (PPAI) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a mission of fostering and preserving a social and political climate favorable to reproductive health. To meet this mission, PPAI engages in lobbying, issues education, and supporter mobilization.
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