Kansas Republicans failed to override Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill banning transgender surgical procedures for children after falling two votes short in the House. State Senator Mike Thompson expressed disappointment, stating that they had tried three times to pass a bill to protect children from making permanent decisions about their lives. Kelly, who originally vetoed the bill, commended the legislature for standing firm against divisive legislation that she believed had no place in Kansas.
The vetoed bill would have prevented state employees from encouraging social transitioning, such as using preferred pronouns and dress choices that match a person’s identity. It sought to outlaw transgender treatment for minors, restrict the use of state funds for transgender treatment, and allow causes of action against healthcare providers who provided such treatment. Republicans supporting the bill argued that it was on the right side of history and aimed to prevent state entities from promoting gender changes. However, Democrats criticized the bill, with State Senator Mary Ware stating that it infringed on the rights of Kansas citizens to make decisions about their own bodies.
Governor Kelly described the bill as divisive and criticized it for targeting a small group of Kansans by imposing government mandates and dictating parenting decisions. She argued that it was not a conservative or Kansas value to dictate how parents should raise and care for their children. The bill comes as more than a dozen states in the U.S. have passed similar bans on surgical procedures and hormonal prescriptions for transgender youth, with some states making it a felony to perform sex changes on children.
Despite the efforts of Kansas Republicans to pass the bill and override the governor’s veto, they were ultimately unsuccessful in securing enough votes in the House. Republicans expressed frustration over the two representatives who dissented in the final vote, calling it a “gut punch.” Governor Kelly’s decision to veto the bill was backed by bipartisan members of the legislature who believed that divisive bills like this had no place in the state. The ban on transgender surgical procedures for children continues to be a contentious issue in Kansas and other states across the country.
