LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Mental health professionals weighed in on House Bill 470 after it was passed by the Kentucky House Thursday.
Though the bill no longer bans counseling for transgender minors, licensed psychologist Dr. Sheila Schuster said it's already having a negative impact on their mental health.
"Because the truth is, you can't separate the mind and the body, which is what they tried to do when taking mental health out," she said.
Schuster sat in the chambers Thursday, as the legislation passed through a committee. The bill restricts gender-affirming care for people under 18 years old. If the legislation becomes law, Schuster says it will overwhelm mental health offices, and put transgender children at a greater risk for depression, anxiety and much worse.
"The harm is, you shut that door to hope to exploration, to figuring out what really works for me as an individual," she said. "I can't give you a number, but I think we will see a serious number of suicide attempts and possibly successfully completed suicides."
However, doctors who support the bill say allowing children to choose their gender and make medical calls cause more harm.
"They cannot make a fully informed medical decision because they don't have a full adult cognitive function," Family Medicine Doctor Tom Ashburn said.
But Schuster argues that receiving gender-affirming care isn't a decision minors make alone.
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"In most cases, that child and family will be referred to a mental health professional, and it's not something that's gone into lightly or quickly. It's a years-long process. It's a years-long process of mental and physical health care," she said.
Schuster added the legislation has less to do with the protection of children, and more to do with erasing the LGBTQ community.
"You can legislate people into silence, but you're not going to make these kids go away, and you're not going to make their needs go away," she said. "Those unmet needs are going to end up in deaths, and when you cut off hope, that's exactly what you're doing."
House Bill 470 is now on its way to the Kentucky Senate for discussion.
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