Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey issued a new emergency healthcare regulation Thursday, that greatly limits gender-affirming care for both minors and adults.
The new regulation also bans transitioning for the autistic.
Bailey stated that because gender-affirming medical interventions are considered “experimental,” they are covered under existing Missouri law governing “unfair, deceptive, and unconscionable business practices,” including health care service administration.
The emergency regulation clarifies that it is “an unfair, deceptive, fraudulent, or otherwise unlawful practice” for any person or health organization in Missouri to recommend or administer gender-affirming health care to patients without certain protections, including informed consent disclosures and lengthy psychological or psychiatric assessments.
Under Bailey’s new regulation, transgender individuals of all ages will be unable to access gender-affirming care in Missouri without having exhibited three years of a “medically documented, long-lasting, persistent and intense pattern of gender dysphoria.”
In addition, healthcare providers must also ensure that social media or their peers are not influencing a patient’s gender identity. individuals seeking access to gender-affirming health care must also be screened for autism, and any existing comorbidities like anxiety and depression must be “treated and resolved” before treatment is administered.
In a statement Thursday, Bailey said his office has uncovered “a clandestine network” of clinics across Missouri “who are harming children by ignoring the science.”
“My office is stepping up to protect children throughout the state while we investigate the allegations and how they are harming children,” he said.
Read the full emergency regulation HERE.
