Puerto Rico has come under fire from LGBTQ+ advocates and medical professionals after signing a new law that bans gender-affirming healthcare for people under 21, one of the most restrictive measures of its kind in any US jurisdiction.
Governor Jenniffer González-Colón signed the controversial bill into law late on Wednesday (16 July). The legislation prohibits hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries for those under the age of 21, even though such surgeries are not performed on minors in Puerto Rico.
Healthcare professionals found to be in violation of the law could face up to 15 years in prison and fines of up to US$50,000. Additionally, the law bans the use of public funds for providing gender-affirming care to anyone under 21.
“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 states.
“Therefore, it is the State’s duty to ensure their comprehensive well-being.”
In Puerto Rico, the legal age of adulthood is 21 — a higher threshold than in most US states, making this ban especially severe.
LGBTQ+ Groups and Medical Experts Condemn the Law
The Puerto Rico LGBTQ+ Federation condemned the bill’s passage, calling it a direct attack on transgender youth and medical professionals.
“Let there be no doubt: We will go to court to challenge the constitutionality of the governor’s cruel and inhumane signing of a law that criminalises health professionals for caring for trans minors,” said Federation director Justin Jesús Santiago.
According to CBS News, multiple Puerto Rican medical institutions, representing doctors and healthcare workers across the territory, urged Governor González-Colón to veto the bill before it was signed.
Part of a Growing Trend Across the US
The legislation follows a broader wave of anti-trans laws being introduced across the United States. Over half a dozen US states have enacted similar bans on gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth, typically targeting those under the age of 19.
According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), 40.1 per cent of transgender youth in the US aged 13–17 currently live in states that have passed such laws — some of which are currently on hold or blocked by court orders, including in Arkansas and Montana.
The HRC emphasises that gender-affirming care is not experimental, but medically necessary:
“Gender-affirming care is age-appropriate care that is medically necessary for the well-being of many transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive people who experience symptoms of gender dysphoria,” the organisation stated.
“By preventing doctors from providing this care or threatening to take children away from parents who support their child in their transition, these bills prevent transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive youth from accessing medically necessary, safe healthcare backed by decades of research and supported by every major medical association representing over 1.3 million US doctors.”
