Oklahoma Governor signs bill preventing 'gender-affirming care' for minors in university-affiliated hospitals

On October 4, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed SB-3XX into law, preventing state funding of gender-reassignment surgeries and hormonal therapies for minors. 

The new law immediately affected University of Oklahoma’s hospital system by threatening to withhold $108 million worth of state funding from any hospital that offered such treatments to minors. 

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Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, which had been offering this “gender-affirming care” to minors up until that point, was quick to change its policy to accord with the new law, now offering these procedures only to those 18 and older. 

Upon signing the bill, Governor Stitt stated that “[i]t is wildly inappropriate for taxpayer dollars to be used for condoning, promoting, or performing these types of controversial procedures on healthy children.”

“I am calling for the Legislature to ban all irreversible gender transition surgeries and hormone therapies on minors when they convene next session in February 2023,” he stated. “We cannot turn a blind eye to what’s happening all across our nation, and as governor I will not allow life-altering transition surgeries on minor children in the state of Oklahoma.”

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In an official statement concerning the legislation, OU Health stated, “In light of the legislation signed by Governor Stitt, we have ceased hormone-related prescription therapies and surgical procedures for gender-affirming services on patients under the age of 18. OU Health provides care in accordance with all state and federal laws and in compliance with regulatory governing bodies.”

Campus Reform contacted Governor Kevin Stitt and OU Health for comment.