Bills in Several States Aim to Criminalize Transgender Treatments for Children

A polarizing debate is happening around the nation as lawmakers in eight states have introduced bills in recent weeks seeking to restrict transition-related treatment for transgender youth.

Proponents say the measures protect minors from medical changes they may regret as adults, while opponents say the bills prevent doctors from following health care guidelines approved by organizations such as the American Medical Association.

The South Dakota House passed its version of the bill last week, which would impose a one-year jail sentence and a maximum fine of $2,000 on doctors who...

Early in my medical training, I read a landmark case study about a 12-year-old boy who wrote a suicide note to his mother saying he would rather die than go through puberty. I later met teenagers who tightly bound their chests — knowing that it could result in fractured ribs — because the emotional pain of seeing their breasts was much worse than any imaginable physical pain.

These children are transgender, and they account for almost 2 percent of youth in the United States. They are suffering from the psychological...