Democrat Filibustering Trans Surgery Bill for Three Weeks Stirs Debate
Senate by Omaha Senator Kathleen Kauth, a Republican, in January. The proposed legislation, if passed, would take effect on October 1, 2023; it would ban "gender altering procedures" for minors in the state.The bill would forbid physicians from performing or referring any individual under the age of 19 for procedures, including surgical ones, hormone treatments, and puberty blockers.
Any physician found in violation of the law would be subject to review by the state's medical licensing board, while also being liable to be sued by the minor they had operated gender-affirming surgery on for two years from the date of the procedure.The Nebraska bill can be seen as part of a recent nationwide push to restrict LGBTQ and trans rights in Republican-controlled states across the country.
These efforts have been reinforced by the passing of the divisive 'Don't Say Gay Bill' in Florida by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, but have often found a roadblock along the way of approval because of issues related to the language used to refer to sexual orientation and gender identity.A majority of these legislative efforts have focused on criminalizing gender-reassignment surgeries for transgender youth and limiting children's exposure to discussions around gender identity and sexuality in schools.In Nebraska, the bill has met the fierce resistance of Cavanaugh, who last week said: "I don't care how sick I get.
I don't care how tired I am. I am not going to look back on this moment in time and say I didn't do everything that I possibly could to fight for and protect children, especially our most vulnerable children, which are trans youth."Her efforts to stop the bill from being passed have been praised by activists, with Gen-Z for Change,.
