Madison, WI – Today, Sen. Cory Tomczyk (R-Mosinee) and Rep. Scott Allen (R-Waukesha) released the “Help Not Harm Act,” a bill designed to protect minors from making life-altering, irreversible decisions that cause mental and bodily harm.
“Children who struggle with gender identity deserve help, not harm,” said Rep. Allen. “There are too many studies that show the harm of these procedures, and there are too many stories of young people regretting their transition later. We need to help minors by giving them the inherent blessing of time.”
Since releasing a previous version of this bill in 2023, medical authorities in England completed a comprehensive review of evidence on the effects of puberty suppressants, cross-sex hormones, and gender transition surgery on minors. Their medical decision was to ban these procedures for minors beginning April 2024.
This follows a similar trend where many European countries are abandoning recommending hormonal therapy or surgery for minors as a first-line treatment. Again and again, medical authorities in places like Sweden, Finland, and France have noted the complete lack of evidence-based research showing the benefits of this type of treatment while also noticing the negative effects and increasing number of detransitioners.
The bill would prohibit puberty suppressants, cross-sex hormones, and gender transition surgery for minors struggling with gender dysphoria. It does not address those 18 or older.
“Our children are not experiments,” stated Sen. Tomczyk. “Parents should not be scared or pressured into having their children receive non-medically necessary drugs or irreversible procedures before their brains are fully developed.”
