HARRISBURG – Blair County Sen. Judy Ward has introduced the Do No Harm Act which protects minors from receiving irreparable gender transitioning procedures. Under Senate Bill 843, doctors would be barred from performing medical procedures that alter a minor’s hormonal balance or otherwise change a minor’s physical appearance which are harmful to a minor. A healthcare provider would still be able to perform such procedures if it is for the purpose of treating a minor’s congenital defect, precocious puberty, disease, or physical injury. It would also prohibit government programs, such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicaid from paying for these procedures. An insurer may not provide a health insurance policy to provide coverage for medical procedures prohibited under the bill. Ward said children cannot grasp the complexity and consequence of these irreversible medical procedures as the effects of these procedures will stay with these children forever. The bill is before the PA Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
SEN. JUDY WARD