GOOD BILL KILLED
Sponsor: Rep. Rose Bottoms (R)
Status: Killed in House Health & Human Services Committee 5-7 (February 18), Postponed Indefinitely
The House Health & Human Services Committee killed legislation prohibiting medical providers from performing sex-change surgeries on minors or prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to children. Democrats voted 7-5 to block the bill after three-and-a-half hours of testimony from physicians, detransitioners, and parents.
The bill would have prohibited surgery on minors or prescribing hormones or puberty blockers to alter biological sex characteristics. It banned mental health therapy that promotes or affirms a minor’s belief they were born in the wrong body. The legislation protected parental rights, created a 20-year statute of limitations for civil actions, and established Class 5 felony penalties.
Rep. Bottoms cited European evidence. Sweden, Finland, Norway, and the United Kingdom have restricted pediatric gender medicine after systematic reviews found insufficient evidence of benefit. The UK’s Cass Review found puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones rest on “remarkably weak” evidence.
Dr. Travis Murrell, representing Colorado Principled Physicians, testified he has prescribed gender-affirming care for adults and knows physicians who performed these procedures on children but “later changed their mind and regretted it.” Murrell said at least 1,000 mastectomies have been performed on children under 17, with 50 to 100 on children under 12.
Mary Louise Fidler testified about growing up as a tomboy. “When I grew up, I became a woman and I became feminine,” she said. She’s thankful she “was born in a time where I didn’t have to question whether I was a woman or not.”
Multiple witnesses testified about detransitioners who underwent medical transition as minors and now regret irreversible changes.
Rep. Dylan Richardson (R-Arapahoe) said physicians testified about unknown outcomes. “If physicians don’t know what the outcomes can be, I don’t know how they can properly inform a patient of what they’re giving consent to,” Richardson said. “These are treatments where informed consent cannot be given.”
Rep. Brandi Bradley (R-Littleton) said parents aren’t receiving informed consent. “Countries and medical organizations worldwide are saying no more to pediatric gender medicine, yet Colorado physicians continue these interventions,” she said.
Rep. Karen McCormick (D-Montrose) cited a Harvard study claiming little utilization of gender-affirming surgeries by transgender minors. Rep. Monica Frey (D-Broomfield) objected that the bill would prohibit mental health counseling. Rep. Kyle Stewart (D-Douglas) said his values of “compassion, kindness, and acceptance” guided his vote against the bill.
The committee voted 5-7 along party lines and postponed the bill indefinitely. Supporters indicated they will pursue ballot initiatives in November 2026.
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