RFK Jr. Moves to restrict gender-affirming care for minors
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Trump administration has moved to restrict gender-affirming care for minors.
Georgia becomes the latest state to place additional restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors after the state Senate made last-minute changes to its home health bill.
HB 54, sponsored by Republican David Clark of Buford and others, was first introduced in the state House of Representatives during the 2025 legislative session.
The bill was originally intended to increase home health care by allowing advanced practice certified nurses and physician assistants to order home health services for patients at licensed home health agencies.
But after passing the House and Senate in the 2025 session, the bill was brought back to the floor this year with amendments targeting other health issues.
What is gender-affirming care?
Gender-affirming care is defined by the World Health Organization as health care that includes “social, psychological, behavioral, or medical (including hormone therapy and surgery) interventions, alone or in combination, aimed at supporting and affirming an individual’s gender identity.”
This includes puberty blockers, which are hormone treatments that stop the body from producing sex hormones when given before or around the onset of puberty. For biological males, this means stopping the growth of facial and body hair and deepening the voice, while also limiting the growth of the penis, scrotum, and testicles. For biological women, this means cessation of breast development and menstruation.
Minors who are exploring their gender identity (how they express themselves, regardless of their gender) can be given puberty blockers early in life to prevent the distress caused by gender dysphoria and the inability to identify with the gender assigned at birth.
Bill to block treatment of minors in Georgia
The proposed amendments to HB 54 specifically target this type of health care, particularly when the minor has state-paid health insurance or the facility is operated by the state.
The bill states that state funds for “medical benefit coverage” cannot include gender-affirming care, and the ordinance prohibits “any individual, entity, or local government from purchasing separate insurance coverage for gender-affirming care.”
This includes doctors who prescribe “puberty blockers” or “treatments.”
The amendment was added by Republican Sen. Ben Watson, a doctor from Savannah, and Republican Sen. Blake Tillery of Vidalia.
The ban doesn’t affect anyone over 18 and “if you’re an adult and that’s your choice, that’s your responsibility,” Watson said.
The bill had the support of gubernatorial candidate and current lieutenant governor Bert Jones, but Senate Democrats opposed it, saying Republicans were quickly moving from affordability issues to divisive topics in an election year, according to the Georgia Recorder.
“Concerns about the legislation will not reduce the cost of everyday life for Georgians,” Sen. Rashaun Kemp, D-Atlanta, told the outlet. “Fear of legislation continues to divide us.”
The bill passed the state Senate along party lines, with 30 votes in favor, 18 against, and 8 with no votes or exemptions.
Which states ban gender-affirming care?
Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly targeted gender-affirming care at the national level, declaring at a press conference in December that “treatments for gender dysphoria are neither safe nor effective.”
These states have several variations on gender-affirming care bans, ranging from bans on minor surgery to puberty inhibition.
- idaho
- montana
- wyoming
- Utah
- arizona
- north dakota
- south dakota
- nebraska
- Kansas
- oklahoma
- texas
- iowa
- missouri
- arkansas
- louisiana
- Indiana
- kentucky
- tennessee
- mississippi
- Alabama
- ohio
- west virginia
- north carolina
- south carolina
- georgia
- florida
- new hampshire
Eileen Wright is an Atlanta Connect reporter on USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. X Find her at @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
