Far-left lawmakers in the state of California are proposing that any applicants for a medical license who wish to practice pro-transgender services should be given top priority in licensing consideration.
As reported by Just The News, the proposed legislation, AB 2442, was introduced by Assemblyman Rick Zbur (D-Calif.). If passed into law, it would guarantee that “an applicant who demonstrates that they intend to provide gender-affirming health care and gender-affirming mental health care” would see their request for a medical license expedited ahead of all other applicants.
Similar priority is already granted by the state to those who are seeking a medical license to practice abortions, guaranteeing them faster responses from the Medical Board of California, the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, the Board of Registered Nursing, and the Physician Assistant Board.
“In 2023, 185 bills were passed nationwide to limit or eliminate access to gender-affirming health care. This pervasive wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation has particularly harmed transgender youth, as highlighted by the Williams Institute’s estimate that approximately 156,500 transgender youth live in 32 states where access to gender-affirming care has been restricted,” said Zbur in a statement. “AB 2442 ensures that licensure applications for providers of gender-affirming care are prioritized to ensure a robust network of providers in the state is able to meet the needs of out-of-state patients.”
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) signed the abortion expediting bill, SB 345, into law last year, thus suggesting that if this new legislation were to pass, he would similarly sign it as well. That law was also passed not in response to an issue within the state of California, but for the purpose of making a political statement regarding the actions of other states.
“An estimated 36 million women of child-bearing age now live in states that have outlawed abortion,” said State Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Calif.) at the time. “There’s also an alarming movement of states criminalizing gender-affirming care.”
Such transgender procedures, falsely referred to by advocates as “gender-affirming care,” can range from hormone therapy and puberty blockers to the most drastic measure of all, genital mutilation surgery.
While there is no science to prove that such treatments improve the physical or mental health of the patients, studies have consistently proven that such procedures are actually more likely to increase depression and suicide. A recent study conducted in California confirmed that the rate of suicide attempts doubled among those who had already received such permanent physical surgeries, compared to those who had not yet received them.