ANNAPOLIS, Md. – House Bill 722 was introduced on February 21, 2024, during the Health and Government Operations Committee meeting and was heard by members of the House of Delegates.
The bill prohibits a healthcare provider from knowingly engaging in or causing certain medical or surgical procedures to be performed on a minor without the consent of the parent, guardian, or custodian of the minor if performed for the purpose of attempting to alter the appearance of, or affirm the minor’s perception of, the minor’s gender or sex and the appearance or perception is inconsistent with the minor’s sex; establishing certain penalties for a violation of the act. For example, the bill states that removing a minor’s healthy or non-diseased body parts or tissue is prohibited.
Maryland is one out of five states that allow preteens to receive mental health treatment without parental consent.
Delegate Lauren Arikan, along with 15 Republicans and three Democrats, sponsored the bill in order to protect minors from life-altering, often permanent procedures that they claim have not been proven as necessary or helpful in the treatment of gender dysphoria.
Arikan was asked exclusively by The BayNet what inspired her to bring this bill to life. Her response was, “Two of my personal family friends have been dealing with their older minor children struggling with gender dysphoria and have been shocked to find how intense the pressure was from therapists for their children to transition, regardless of the parent’s feelings around the safety and necessity of the transition.”
To those opposing the bill, Arikan had this to say, “The most basic concept of parental rights should include the right to decide what medications your child is given that can permanently alter the healthy development of that child.”
LGBTQ+ youth experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. In one CDC study of youth in 10 states and 9 urban school districts, a higher share of transgender students reported suicide risk outcomes across a range of metrics than cisgender students. These include, in the past 12 months: having felt sad or hopeless, considered attempting suicide, made a suicide plan, attempted suicide, or had a suicide attempt treated by a doctor or nurse.
The inability to access gender-affirming care, such as puberty suppressors and hormone therapy, has been linked to worse mental health outcomes for transgender youth, including with respect to suicidal ideation, potentially exacerbating the already existing disparities. Conversely, access to this care is associated with improved outcomes in these domains. Policies that aim to prohibit or interrupt access to gender-affirming care for youth can, therefore, have negative implications for health in potentially life-threatening ways. [1]
This is a large issue. However, this does not mean that parents cannot be involved in the decisions made by their children. This issue and Bill 722 have a way to go for Marylanders to see the outcome.
The Maryland Senate, where Democrats outnumber Republicans 34 to 13, also would have to pass the bill before it could go to the desk of Gov. Wes Moore (D).
“If Governor Moore signs HB 722, he will be standing with a supermajority of Maryland citizens, Democrat, Republican, and Independent, in supporting the right of parents to participate in the medical care of their minor children,” Arikan stated in the potential for this bill to cross the finish line.
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