Consumer Protection - Consumer Reporting Agencies - Use of Algorithmic Systems
Summary
HB1399 would prohibit a Maryland health care practitioner from prescribing, dispensing, or administering cross-sex hormones, or otherwise providing cross-sex hormone therapy, to a minor when the treatment is being used for a mental health diagnosis associated with gender nonconformity, including gender dysphoria. The bill defines “cross-sex hormone” broadly to include prescription hormones such as estrogen and testosterone, as well as hormone blockers, and defines “cross-sex hormone therapy” as treatment used to develop secondary sex characteristics for a person transitioning from their assigned sex at birth to their experienced or expressed gender.
The bill creates a new section in the Health Occupations Article and makes a violation a felony punishable by imprisonment for up to life. It also authorizes the Department to adopt regulations to implement the law. The bill would take effect October 1, 2025, and would directly affect licensed health care practitioners who treat minors, as well as minors seeking gender-affirming medical care for gender dysphoria or related diagnoses.
Impact
HB1399 would add a new prohibition to Maryland’s Health Occupations law restricting certain gender-related hormone treatments for minors and would expose practitioners who violate the ban to severe criminal penalties. It would affect physicians and other licensed health care practitioners, and it would likely limit access to hormone-based gender-affirming care for minors in Maryland when provided for gender dysphoria or similar mental health diagnoses. The bill also gives the Department rulemaking authority to implement the new restrictions.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the available context, the measure appears to be strongly supported by its sponsors and framed as a child-protection bill, as reflected in its title, “Protect the Kids Act.” No committee transcript or vote record is available here to show broader deliberation or bipartisan support. The filing by multiple delegates suggests organized backing among the bill’s proponents, but the absence of recorded votes or hearing testimony limits the ability to assess overall legislative sentiment beyond the sponsors’ intent.
Contention
The central point of contention is the bill’s prohibition on cross-sex hormone therapy for minors, especially when used to treat gender dysphoria or other gender-nonconformity-related diagnoses. Supporters are likely to view the bill as protecting minors from irreversible or inappropriate treatment, while opponents would likely argue that it restricts medically accepted care, interferes with clinical judgment, and targets transgender youth. The bill’s felony penalty, including potential life imprisonment, is also likely to be controversial because it is unusually severe for a health-occupations violation.