New Hampshire House Bill 377
| New Hampshire House Bill 377 | |
|---|---|
| New Hampshire General Court | |
| |
| Citation | [1] |
| Territorial extent | New Hampshire |
| Enacted by | New Hampshire House of Representatives |
| Enacted by | New Hampshire Senate |
| Signed by | Kelly Ayotte |
| Signed | August 1, 2025 |
| Effective | January 1, 2026 |
| Introduced | January 8, 2025 |
| Voting summary |
|
| Second chamber: New Hampshire Senate | |
| Received from the New Hampshire House of Representatives | March 27, 2025 |
| Third reading | June 5, 2025 |
| Voting summary |
|
| Final stages | |
| Finally passed both chambers | June 27, 2025 |
| Summary | |
| Prohibits New Hampshirites under eighteen years of age from receiving gender-affirming medical care, including hormone therapy and puberty blockers, and makes it a felony to provide such care to minors knowingly. | |
| Status: Not yet in force | |
New Hampshire House Bill 377 (HB 377) is a 2025 law in the state of New Hampshire that restricts access to gender-affirming medical care for minors, including gender-affirming hormone therapy and puberty blockers. It was signed into law by Governor Kelly Ayotte on August 1, 2025, alongside House Bill 712, which prohibits minors from receiving gender-affirming surgeries that affect the breasts as well as other related surgeries.[1][2]
Following the passage of both House Bill 377 and 712, New Hampshire became the first state in New England to prohibit gender-affirming medical care for minors.[3][4] Both bills were passed along party lines in both chambers of the New Hampshire General Court, with only two Democrats splitting to join Republicans in support of HB 377 in the House of Representatives and one in support of HB 712.[5]
History
House Bill 377 was introduced by Republican state representative Lisa Mazur.[6] Both bills were passed in the New Hampshire House of Representatives in June 2025, with the New Hampshire Senate following in late June.[5][7] Prior to the passage of HB 377 in the Senate, an amendment was added, introducing a grandfather clause that would allow those under eighteen already receiving gender-affirming care to continue that care.[8]
Provisions
House Bill 377 prohibits New Hampshirites under eighteen years of age from receiving gender-affirming medical care, generally referring to hormone replacement therapy and puberty blockers.[9] It criminalizes the provision of such treatments to minors and medical professionals who knowingly provide such care would be charged with a class B felony.[6][9] The law is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, and includes a grandfather clause allowing minors already receiving gender-affirming care prior to the law taking effect to continue receiving that care afterwards.[10]
House Bill 712 prohibits New Hampshirites under eighteen years of age from receiving most gender-affirming surgeries, including ones that affect the breasts and facial features.[1][2] It is directly related to House Bill 619, a 2024 law that prohibits surgeries affecting the genitals for minors.[2][11][12] The law provides exceptions if such surgeries are due to infection, injury, or other situations deemed medically necessary.[3]
Reactions
Support
After signing both House Bill 377 and 712, Governor Kelly Ayotte released a statement in defense of the bills, claiming that medical care such as gender-affirming care could affect children negatively.[13] All Republicans in both the New Hampshire Senate and House voted in favor of both bills.[5]
Opposition
The American Civil Liberties Union and GLAD Law released statements in opposition to the passage of both bills.[14] With the exception of two Democratic state representatives, all Democrats in the New Hampshire Senate and House voted against House Bill 377, with one Democrat voting against House Bill 712.[5]
See also
References
- ^ a b Fleming, Imani (August 2, 2025). "Ayotte signs bills blocking gender-affirming care for minors". WMUR 9. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- ^ a b c Migdon, Brooke (June 27, 2025). "New Hampshire lawmakers give final approval to gender-affirming care ban". The Hill. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- ^ a b DiGiammerino, Thea (August 1, 2025). "NH governor signs off on banning gender-affirming care for minors". NBC 10 Boston. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- ^ "Ayotte signs two bills banning transgender health care for youth". New Hampshire Public Radio. August 4, 2025. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Migdon, Brooke (August 4, 2025). "New Hampshire becomes first Northeastern state to ban gender-affirming care for minors". The Hill. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- ^ a b Matherly, Charlotte (March 3, 2025). "House bill to ban gender-affirming treatments for minors draws 4 hours of emotional testimony, national advocates". Concord Monitor. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- ^ Markos, Mary (June 30, 2025). "Bills banning gender-affirming care for minors sent to NH governor's desk". NBC 10 Boston. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- ^ Cuno-Booth, Paul (June 6, 2025). "New Hampshire Senate passes restrictions on transgender health care for minors". New Hampshire Public Radio. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- ^ a b DeWitt, Ethan (March 28, 2025). "House passes ban on puberty blockers, hormone therapies for minors". New Hampshire Bulletin. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- ^ "Newsmakers | New Hampshire". Boston Spirit. September 1, 2025. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- ^ Irwin, Lauren (July 20, 2024). "Sununu signs bill barring gender-affirming surgeries for youth into law". The Hill. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- ^ Gokee, Amanda (June 26, 2025). "N.H. lawmakers send bills banning gender-affirming care, surgeries for minors to Governor Kelly Ayotte". Boston Globe. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
The bill builds on a measure passed last year to ban gender-affirming genital reassignment surgeries for minors.
- ^ "Statement on HB 377 and HB 712". Office of the Governor of New Hampshire. August 1, 2025. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- ^ Ring, Trudy (August 1, 2025). "New Hampshire Republican governor signs gender-affirming care ban into law". Advocate. Retrieved November 23, 2025.