Protect Children From Irreversible Sex Change Surgery Act

There is no law in Colorado banning the practice of sex-change surgeries for minors.

Instead, current Colorado law—HB25-1309—protects "access to gender-affirming health care" and requires insurance companies and the state Medicaid program to provide coverage for it. The current law includes a list of "gender-affirming health care" items, including:

• Facial bone remodeling;
• Cheek, chin, or nose implants;
• Lip lift or augmentation;
• Mandibular angle augmentation, creation, or reduction;
• Breast or chest augmentation, reduction, or construction; and
• Genital and congenital surgical procedures.

By contrast, Initiative 110 would prohibit healthcare professionals from performing any surgery on a minor for the purpose of altering biological sex characteristics, and would prohibit state or federal funds, Medicaid reimbursements, and insurance coverage from being used to pay for such surgeries.

According to the final text of Colorado Initiative 110, this phrase "means treatment in response to a minor's perception of sex or gender." This excludes male circumcision and treatment for "a medically verifiable disorder of sex development or... acquired physical or chemical abnormalities."

If approved, this initiative would explicitly prohibit "any surgery to a minor for the purpose of altering biological sex characteristics," but does not address hormone treatments and puberty blockers.

This initiative applies to "any person licensed in this state or any other state to practice medicine, chiropractic, nursing, physical therapy, podiatry, dentistry, pharmacy, optometry, psychiatry, psychology, mental health therapy, or other healing arts."

It also applies to other medical corporations or entities that practice in the state.

This initiative is limited to minors—individuals "under eighteen years of age."

According to this initiative, care for children "born with a medically verifiable disorder of sex development" may continue.

Yes, if this initiative is approved, it would prohibit the use of any "state or federal funds, Medicaid reimbursements, or insurance coverage" to pay for sex-change surgeries on minors.