Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón signed legislation on July 16 barring puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgeries for individuals younger the 21 years of age.
The law’s text justifies the move by making the case that minors “are particularly vulnerable to making decisions that can have irreversible consequences.” The law further stipulates that public funds cannot be used for gender-affirming care for youth.
González-Colón, a Republican who just took office this year, signed the legislation despite previously seeking amendments to safeguard access to puberty blockers and allow individuals already receiving gender-affirming care to continue to do so, according to the Advocate. However, lawmakers were not open to those changes.
The law carries sentences of 15 years in prison and $50,00 penalties, as well as the disqualification of medical licenses and permits, according to the Associated Press.
Several groups, including the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Association of Psychology, and the Puerto Rican Association of Professional Counseling, pushed unsuccessfully for the bill to be vetoed.
Waves Ahead Puerto Rico, an organization serving LGBTQ people on the island, described the governor as “vicious” for signing the bill into law.
“To our trans community after the governor’s vicious decision to make Senate Bill 350 into law, we remind you that we are here and we are not leaving,” the organization wrote on Facebook. “We have mental health services available to those who need it. Just as we do, we will fight alongside you, as always. We have each other.”
Currently, 25 states ban best practice medication and surgical care for trans youth, while 14 states and the nation’s capital have “shield” laws protecting access to trans care, according to Movement Advancement Project. Even before Puerto Rico imposed the new restrictions, 37% of trans youth between the ages of 13 and 17 lived in states with bans on gender-affirming care for youth.
