Missouri Governor Signs Bills Banning Transgender Treatments For Minors, Protecting Women’s Sports

 Republican Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed two bills Wednesday that will ban transgender treatments for minors and prevent men from competing in women’s sports.

SB 49, known as the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, will ban puberty blockers, hormones, and sex change surgeries from being prescribed to minors and prohibit Medicaid from covering transgender treatments for adults.  

The Republican governor released a statement saying the bill will “protect Missouri children from harmful, irreversible treatments and procedures. These decisions have permanent consequences for life and should not be made by impressionable children who may be in crisis or influenced by the political persuasions of others.”

Missouri Republicans in the state House and Senate often disagreed on how far the restrictions in the SAFE Act should go, with each chamber passing its own version of the bill. Ultimately, the House adopted the Senate’s version, which allows minors who are already receiving treatment to continue to do so. The SAFE Act is set to expire in 2027 as part of a Republican compromise with state Senate Democrats.

The Act’s passage comes a day after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction against a similar Florida law to allow three minors already undergoing transgender treatments to continue receiving them. 

The other piece of legislation signed by Parson, SB 39, will strip all state funding from any public or private school that allows biological men to play in women’s sports.  The law applies to all schools from kindergarten through college.

“Women and girls deserve and have fought for an equal opportunity to succeed, and with this legislation today, we stand up to the nonsense and stand with them as they take back their sport competitions,” Parson said. “In Missouri, we support real fairness, not injustice disguised as social righteousness.”

The ACLU of Missouri said it would “explore all options to fight these bans and to expand the rights of trans Missourians.” 

 

In anticipation of the SAFE Act’s passage, Planned Parenthood’s clinics in Missouri have been ramping up appointments and holding pop-up clinics so more patients can initiate treatment before the law takes effect.

“We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure all patients are supported, seen, and cared for,” said Yamelsie Rodríguez, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, in a statement. “Any patient wanting to continue their gender-affirming care in a state that welcomes people of all identities: our Fairview Heights, Illinois, health center is open to you and we are here to help you make plans to get care.”