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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
gender transition; minors; prohibitions
Purpose
Effective April 1, 2027, prohibits physicians or other health professionals from providing a gender transition procedure to a person under 18 years old and prohibits public monies, public health care facilities or public employees from being utilized for gender transition procedures.
Background
Physicians may not provide irreversible gender reassignment surgery to any individual who is under 18 years old. Irreversible gender reassignment surgery is a medical procedure performed for the purpose of assisting an individual with a gender transition and includes any of the following: 1) penectomy, orchiectomy, vaginoplasty, clitoroplasty or vulvoplasty for biologically male patients or hysterectomy or ovariectomy for biologically female patients; 2) metoidioplasty, phalloplasty, vaginectomy, scrotoplasty or implantation of erection or testicular protheses for biologically female patients; and 3) augmentation mammoplasty for biologically male patients and subcutaneous mastectomy for female patients.
Physicians may still provide certain gender related services to minors in specified circumstances, including: 1) services for an individual born with a medically verifiable disorder of sex development; 2) services provided when a physician has otherwise diagnosed a disorder of sexual development and has determined through genetic or biochemical testing that the individual does not have normal sex chromosome structure, sex steroid hormone production or sex steroid hormone action; 3) services to treat any infection, injury, disease or disorder that has been caused by or exacerbated by the performance of gender transition procedures, whether or not the gender transition procedure was performed in accordance with state and federal law; and 4) services undertaken because the individual suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the individual in imminent danger of death or impairment of major bodily function unless surgery is performed (A.R.S. § 32-3230).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Prohibits physicians and other health professionals from:
a) providing a gender transition procedure to any individual who is under 18 years old; or
b) referring any individual who is under 18 years old to another health professional to receive a gender transition procedure.
2. Prohibits public monies from being used or distributed, either directly or indirectly, to any individual or entity that provides gender transition procedures to persons under 18 years old.
3. Prohibits gender transition procedures from being provided:
a) in government-owned health care facilities; or
b) by physicians who are employed with a government entity.
4. Prohibits the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System from providing reimbursement of costs or coverage for a gender transition procedure to any person under 18 years old.
5. States that any health professional who provides or makes a referral for a gender transition procedure commits unprofessional conduct subject to discipline by an appropriate licensing entity or regulatory board.
6. Allows an individual to assert an actual or threatened violation as a claim or defense in a judicial or administrative proceeding.
7. Requires an individual to bring a claim within two years after the date that the cause of action accrues.
8. Allows an individual under 18 years old to bring an action throughout their minority through a parent or next friend.
9. Allows an individual who has reached 18 years old to bring an action in their own name for the next 20 years.
10. Allows the individual to obtain compensatory damages, as well as injunctive relief, declaratory relief or any other appropriate relief.
11. Allows an action to be commenced and allows relief to be granted in a judicial proceeding without regard to whether the individual has sought or exhausted administrative remedies.
12. Requires a prevailing party who establishes that a violation has occurred to be awarded reasonable attorney fees.
13. Allows the Attorney General (AG) to bring an action to enforce compliance with restrictions on gender transition procedures.
14. Stipulates that this legislation does not deny, impair or otherwise affect any right or authority of the AG, or any other government entity or employee acting under any other law to institute or intervene in any proceeding.
15. Defines cross-sex hormones, gender transition procedure, puberty blocking hormones and public monies.
16. Makes technical and conforming changes.
17. Contains a purpose statement relating to the delayed effective date.
18. Becomes effective on April 1, 2027.
Prepared by Senate Research
January 22, 2026
ZD/ci