A bill introduced earlier this month in Illinois seeks to change the definition of "abused child" to include kids whose parents object to abortion, puberty blockers, hormones, and transgender surgeries for minors.
Under House Bill 4876, doctors who prescribe such treatments to minors without parental consent would be shielded from liability and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) would be given the authority to remove children from their biological parents if they do not consent to this type of care for their children.
Introduced by Democrat state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, the legislation gives minors the same legal status as adults in terms of consent for gender transition medical treatments and abortion services, which "is not voidable because of such minority."
Doctors who perform these procedures and prescribe these treatments need only make a reasonable effort to determine that the minor understands the risks and benefits and are exempted from civil and criminal liability for providing such care.
The bill ensures that "a health care professional rendering abortion services and gender-affirming services shall not incur civil or criminal liability for failure to obtain valid consent or professional discipline for failure to obtain valid consent if the health care professional relied in good faith on representations made by the minor."
The Gazette reported that child abuse in Illinois is classified as either a misdemeanor or a felony, with the former resulting in a fine of up to $2,500 or one year in prison and the latter carrying a fine of up to $25,000 and a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Responding to comments on Facebook, Stava-Murray said, "trans kids go through irreversible damage from a puberty that doesn’t match their gender identity every day in this country."
"To ignore that damage further harms trans children and puts them at risk for the mental health issues you purport to care about," she said to one commenter. "Giving access to lifesaving gender-affirming care should be the standard."
On Tuesday, parents and advocates with the Parents Matter Coalition gathered at the state Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, seeking signatures to place a statewide advisory referendum on the November ballot.
Members of the coalition told ABC 20 that the advisory referendum is a response to state legislation and policies that have reduced or eliminated the role of parents in medical decisions involving their children.
The measure remains in the House Rules Committee, according to The Center Square.