MONTGOMERY — State Rep. Wes Allen (R-Troy) on Thursday filed the Alabama Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, HB 303.

The legislation would make it illegal for doctors to prescribe puberty blocking medications or opposite gender hormones to minors. Allen’s HB 303 would also ban hysterectomy, mastectomy or castration surgeries from being performed on minors. Violations would constitute a Class C felony.

In a findings section of the legislation, the act states, “The long-term effects and safety of the administration of puberty-blocking medications and cross sex hormones to gender incongruent children have not been rigorously studied. Absent rigorous studies showing their long-term safety and positive benefits, their continued administration to children constitutes dangerous and uncontrolled human medical experimentation that may result in grave and irreversible consequences to their physical and mental health.”

The bill has been referred to the House Health Committee.

“I was shocked when I found out doctors in Alabama were prescribing these types of drugs to children,” Allen said in a statement. “This is something you hear about happening in California or New York but it is happening right here in Alabama and it’s time we put a stop to that practice.”

Allen noted that he recognizes that there are children who are struggling with psychological disorders, such as gender dysphoria. A release added that “he believes that we should help those children with therapeutic treatment from qualified mental health professionals, not allow these children’s bodies to be permanently mutilated.”

“Gender dysphoria is a real disorder. It’s listed in the DSM-5, published by the American Psychiatric Association, which lists all recognized mental disorders,” Allen remarked. “These children are suffering from a psychological disorder, just as someone who is suffering with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia but we treat those patients and try to help them. We should treat these psychological disorders as well.”

Allen’s release further stated that many of the puberty blocking medications and opposite gender hormones being prescribed to Alabama children “have irreversible consequences including sterilization, liver disease and increased risk for cancer.” Allen advised that the FDA has never approved the use of puberty blocking medications for the treatment of gender dysphoria.

“These patients are children who have not reached physical or mental maturity. It is irresponsible to permanently mutilate them at their request or at the request of their parents. We don’t allow minors to enter into contracts, buy alcohol or get a credit card because they aren’t capable of making those decisions and we should not allow them to do this either,” he concluded.

The introduction of this legislation came the day after the House State Government Committee gave a favorable report to the “Gender is Real Legislative” (GIRL) Act.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn