The ACLU of Louisiana released the following statement in response to legislators overturning Governor John Bel Edwards’ veto of House Bill 648 [legis.la.gov], a bill that the group says "bans gender-affirming care for minors and takes away parents’ rights to make healthcare decisions about their children."
“Lawmakers who voted to overturn Governor Edwards’ veto of House Bill 648 have chosen to sacrifice the health and safety of Louisiana’s transgender children and undermine the rights of their parents. This is extreme government overreach and a direct threat to the civil liberties and constitutional rights of all Louisianans. We condemn today’s override of HB648, and we will never stop fighting to protect the rights of transgender youth and their families.”
According to our media partners at The Advocate, the Louisiana Legislature has overridden Gov. John Bel Edwards' veto of a ban on youth access to gender-affirming health care, aligning the state with a growing list of others that have curtailed medical treatment for transgender people.
The state House voted Tuesday morning to override Edwards' veto of House Bill 648, sponsored by state Rep. Gabe Firment, R-Pollock, which would ban doctors from prescribing hormone therapy and puberty blockers to minors in most cases, and from administering gender-transition surgical procedures. The Senate voted hours later to do the same, setting the bill in motion to become law.
To read The Advocate's full story, click here.
To read the bills on the veto session agenda, and see the votes, click here.
