Delaware residents who receive gender-affirming care and the doctors that provide it can breathe a sigh of relief if a bill aimed at protecting those who seek gender-affirming care and the doctors that provide it passes.
The bill, introduced by Rep. DeShanna Neal (D-District 13) last week, tacks on gender-affirming care protections to existing protections for those who receive or provide abortions. “I filed House Bill 230 because we are seeing other states weaponizing their laws against the transgender community, and we should be clear that we will not let those other states’ laws prevent people from seeking gender-affirming care in Delaware,” Neal said in a statement.
The bill would prevent out-of-state people from suing a patient who received gender-affirming care in Delaware and the doctors that provided that care.
It would also prevent insurance companies from penalizing doctors providing gender-affirming health care so long as they are not breaking Delaware’s laws.