Sen. Wendy Rogers/Gage Sizemore
GOP senator calls for penalties for doctors who offer treatments under age 18
By Laura Gomez | Arizona Mirror
Arizona medical professionals who perform gender-affirming surgery or provide hormonal treatment to transgender or gender nonconforming minors would face felony charges and prison time under a proposed law from a northern Arizona legislator.
Also: Sen. Rogers calls for return to ‘McCarthyism’
Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, proposed Senate Bill 1045 to prohibit medical procedures that affirm the gender identity of children and teens who are transgender. The law would ban medical staff from doing gender affirming surgeries on transgender minors and prescribing testosterone to transgender men or estrogen to transgender women who are under 18. Health professionals would be guilty of a Class 4 felony, with a prison sentence one to three years.
SB1045 would also prohibit a teacher, nurse, counselor or any other school staff from withholding information about a transgender student’s gender identity from the child’s parent.
The proposal could have dangerous consequences, said Ryan Starzyk, a local business owner and board member of Phoenix Pride, which organizes an annual LGBT celebration and parade.
“It is dangerous,” Starzyk said. “It is deadly because if (children) don’t have the foundational information, if they have nobody they can turn and oftentimes is the only one they can turn to is the professional at school before, (the legislature) is laying the foundation for students suicides.”
Rogers couldn’t be reached for comment on the proposal.
