Idaho just put its foot down with H. 668, a law ensuring taxpayers’ dollars won’t bankroll gender transition procedures. Building on the foundation laid by the 2023 Vulnerable Child Protection (VCAP) Act, which already put a stop to doctors performing gender-transition surgeries or hormone treatments on minors, H. 668 takes it a step further. It declares unequivocally that public funds are off-limits for subsidizing these surgical operations or medical interventions, whether for minors or adults.
The law goes to great lengths to safeguard taxpayer money, barring gender-transition procedures from being written off as medical expenses under the state’s Medicaid program, and ensuring that no state properties or facilities become the backdrop for these procedures. Doctors employed by the state or local governments are also prohibited from offering these services as part of their official duties.
Cross the line? You’re looking at charges of “misuse of public money,” a felony with penalties that could include a hefty $10,000 fine, up to 14 years behind bars for the gravest violations, and a permanent ban from holding public office or employment. Plus, you’ll be on the hook for paying back every dime.
The legislature’s stance is firm: gender-transition procedures, fraught with significant risks and irreversible damage, are never medically necessary. They argue that altering someone’s appearance to align with their perception of self, contrary to their biological reality, doesn’t just harm individuals—it contradicts the undeniable truth that gender is binary, either male or female.
Idaho’s move to curb the misuse of taxpayer dollars on gender-transition procedures is a commendable step toward reinstating sanity in an age of gender confusion. This legislation is a breath of fresh air for conservatives and common-sense Americans who’ve watched with growing alarm as radical gender ideologies take hold in public policy. It’s ludicrous that taxpayers are expected to foot the bill for procedures that many consider morally objectionable or, at best, deeply controversial. This law sends a clear message: Idaho respects the convictions of its citizens and won’t force them to subsidize what many see as a dangerous deviation from biological reality.
