Tennessee GOP senators OK criminalizing helping minors get transgender care, mimicking abortion bill

Tennessee lawmakers are considering criminalizing adults who help minors receive gender-affirming care without parental consent. Republican senators advanced the legislation Thursday on a 25-4 vote. It must now clear the similarly GOP-dominated House. The bill mirrors almost the exact same language from a so-called “anti-abortion trafficking” proposal that the Senate approved just a day prior. In that version, supporters are hoping to stop adults from helping young people obtain abortions without permission from their parents or guardians.