Battle lines have been drawn in the opening legislative debate on LB 574, Sen. Kathleen Kauth’s bill that would prohibit gender-altering surgeries and drug treatments for those under the age of 19.
With a motion to indefinitely postpone the bill already on the floor, the Omaha lawmaker said experts noted a sharp rise in gender dysphoria during the pandemic, driven heavily by lockdown-induced social isolation and contagion.
Kauth said the stages of youth brain development, especially during puberty, are of vital concern, and so-called ‘affirmative treatments’ are not the right approach.
In stark contrast to many of her comments on the subject during a three week filibuster, Omaha Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh initially softened her rhetoric, and appealed directly to Republicans’ to open their hearts and minds, and think about what brought them to the Legislature.
That tone changed after further debate broke down into partisan bickering as bill supporters were able to force a vote on the postponement motion, which failed 13 to 31. Floor consideration continued today, and Cavanaugh has filed three motions to send the measure back to committee, as well as two motions to bracket the bill until the final days of the session.