Puerto Rico bans hormone therapy and gender surgery for transgender youth
apnews.com
Puerto Rico’s governor has signed a bill that prohibits hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgeries for transgender youth, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from activists in the largely conservative U.S. territory.

The law approved late Wednesday applies to those younger than 21 and calls for 15 years in prison for any violators, as well as a $50,000 penalty and the revocation of all licenses and permits of medical staff.

“Minors, having not yet reached the necessary emotional, cognitive, and physical maturity, are particularly vulnerable to making decisions that can have irreversible consequences,” the law reads. “Therefore, it is the State’s duty to ensure their comprehensive well-being.”

  • TreadOnMe [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
    9·
    8 days ago

    This is because people in this site are basically reactionary to libertarians (which I get it, see user name). Age of consent and other associated laws should exist and be enforced because of the potential for wild power dynamic imbalances and abuse.

    However, there is absolutely no material basis for the idea that ‘maturity’ and ‘adulthood’ is specifically tied to any age past 13-14 when the physical maturation process kicks in. I have known incredibly ‘immature’ 40 year olds (who can’t be trusted with simple tasks) who are clearly in some form of arrested development and very ‘mature’ (in that they very seriously think and plan for the future based on the information available to them, to a almost comical degrees) 13 year olds. However, it is clear to me that much of that ‘maturity’ comes from their ability to parrot the arguments of their parents, teachers, and role-models, not their actual understanding of situations. Which is fine, they are kids, I don’t have that expectation. My point is that tying these nebulous cultural concepts to a specific age, or even ‘brain development’, which is itself a very poorly understood field, is ridiculous.

    My second point is that because of this healthcare of any kind should not be barred by these concepts either, and certainly not by age. Erecting artificial barriers to professional care will only lead to people seeking amateur care which has the potential to create more danger for individuals seeking treatment.

    That said, if you are part of a trans activist group, now would be good time to begin attempting to coordinate with groups in PR, supplying individuals with the latest scientific medical advice and material. What cannot be won in the courts and legislature must therefore be won on the streets.