What do Iowans say about a gender-affirming care ban for minors? Lawmakers hear both sides

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa lawmakers are now looking at a total ban for gender-affirming care for anyone under the age of 18.

There's been a lot of misinformation about what gender affirming care looks like. This is two milligrams of estradiol," Aime Wichendahl, who sits on the Hiawatha City Council, said.

A new GOP proposal would ban Iowa doctors from medically affirming a child's gender identity.

That means children would no longer be able to receive hormones, puberty blockers, or surgeries to affirm a transgender person’s identity.

We need to allow children to grow normally because puberty is key to human development, pausing it has life altering consequences forever," supporter Samantha Fett said.

Those who disagree say for trans kids who feel uncomfortable in their own skin, this type of care could be life saving.

I was an adult when I got top surgery but I did not, I almost didn't make it that long," Maxwell Mowitz with One Iowa said. "The trans kids that I work with aren't sure if they're going to make it that long.

Supporters say decisions on treatments should only be made once they’re adults.

This is not a decision that should be made by them or their parents during their minor years," Shellie Flockhart, a supporter of the bill, said. "The brain actually hasn't fully developed until the age of 26.

Karen Butler, who has a queer, non-binary child disagrees. She says her kid had top surgery, which wasn't something her family took lightly, but ultimately it was the right decision for her 16 year-old.

It is also an assault on parental rights and strips Iowa families of our liberty and freedom to make decisions about our children's healthcare needs," Butler said.

Other parents have concerns kids could end up changing their minds.

We all know that children and teenagers are poor decision makers and it is the job of adults to protect them from themselves," one supporter said.

Both chambers advanced the bill along party lines, with only Republicans voting in support of the measures.