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Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, has filed four pieces of legislation to protect minors from life-changing gender transition hormones and surgery that could render them unable to have children as adults.  The bills also allow lawsuits to be filed against health care providers and adults who violate the provisions of these measures.

Standridge said the hope is to prevent children from later suffering mental health and physical complications, including infertility, because of decisions made before they had the maturity or knowledge necessary to undergo such procedures.

Senate Bill 786 would prohibit doctors or other health care providers from providing hormone therapy or puberty blocking drugs to anyone under the age of 18 unless such drugs are medically necessary.  SB 788 would prevent a parent or guardian from consenting to the administration of such drugs if the individual is under 18.

SB 787 would prohibit doctors or other health care professionals from providing gender transition surgery to anyone under 18, while SB 789 would prohibit a parent or guardian from consenting to such a surgery for a minor. 

All four measures would allow civil lawsuits to be filed against violators of each of these measures.