Omaha senator challenges state restrictions on gender-affirming care for trans youths
Source: Omaha World Herald
Erin Bamer Sep 26, 2024 Updated 5 mins ago
LINCOLN — An Omaha senator is asking her fellow lawmakers to review potential legal and constitutional violations in a set of restrictions on gender-affirming care imposed by the state health department earlier this year.
In a letter to State Sen. Raymond Aguilar of Grand Island, the chair of the Nebraska Legislature's Executive Board, Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha argued that the restrictions violate the Nebraska Constitution's Bill of Rights and the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. She requested the board immediately review the restrictions for the alleged violations.
The restrictions were imposed after the passage of Legislative Bill 574 in 2023, which restricted gender-affirming care for people under 19, and banned abortions beyond 12 weeks gestation. Cavanaugh opposed the bill during the 2023 session, filibustering nearly every other bill that reached floor debate in an attempt to slow its progress. It narrowly passed anyway.
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) drafted regulations in line with the new law, and Gov. Jim Pillen approved the regulations in March. Among the rules are waiting periods and requirements, including that patients must live in their preferred gender for at least six months, receive at least 40 hours of therapy and wait seven days after a prescription is made before obtaining the medication.
Read more: https://omaha.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/omaha-senator-challenges-state-restrictions-on-gender-affirming-care-for-trans-youths/article_716764b8-7c24-11ef-8433-bbc68ca03b07.html
Original link: https://omaha.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/omaha-senator-challenges-state-restrictions-on-gender-affirming-care-for-trans-youths/article_716764b8-7c24-11ef-8433-bbc68ca03b07.html