Amendments to Senate Bill 10 Add Insult to Injury for Alabama's Youth, Parents, Doctors and Schools

Today, the Alabama House Health Committee approved Senate Bill 10, which seeks to deny gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.

The following statement is from Scott McCoy, SPLC interim deputy director, LGBTQ Rights & Special Litigation:

“Today, the Alabama House Health Committee approved Senate Bill 10, which would ban lifesaving, gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth. The three amendments added do nothing to address the bill’s original discriminatory intent of attacking transgender people.

“Despite the language alterations, this bill continues to harm transgender youth as it seeks to remove control of vital health care decisions from children, their families and their doctors; expose medical professionals who treat transgender youth to criminal sanctions; and put educators and school personnel in a legal and ethical conflict by requiring them to 'out' transgender students to hostile parents.

“Alabamians are still out of work. Medical professionals are still risking their lives to get us through this COVID-19 pandemic. Our children are still being homeschooled. Yet the Alabama legislature refuses to address the state’s top priorities, instead choosing to champion legislation that will likely lead to long and expensive litigation that Alabama taxpayers can’t afford.

“We continue to urge the Alabama legislature to stop targeting transgender people, especially transgender youth, and get back to the real work of helping everyday Alabamians, who are still in dire need.”