Nebraska DHHS releases proposed regulations of hormones and puberty blockers
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The state has finished its draft of regulations of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services released the draft on Tuesday, beginning a public comment period on the proposed regulations.
The document is a more fleshed-out version of the temporary regulations announced on Oct. 1.
SEE ALSO: Judge throws out lawsuit against Nebraska’s bans on abortion, gender-affirming surgeries
Patients are required to go through at least 40 hours of therapy before being prescribed puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones.
Doctors also must attest that their patient “has at least six consecutive months of living primarily as the preferred gender.”
The proposed regulations also require that the prescribing physician demonstrate that “the patient’s distress” is due to gender dysphoria or gender nonconformity — not “other mental or physical health conditions.”
Any patient who began treatment before Oct. 1 is exempt from the requirements.
SEE ALSO: Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen signs abortion, gender-affirming care bans into law
The regulations were required by the Let Them Grow Act, which the Legislature passed in May.
That law banned gender-affirming surgeries for minors but left the regulation of gender-affirming medication to the state’s chief medical officer.
DHHS is now seeking feedback “from all stakeholders, including medical experts and individuals with lived experience.”
You can send comments via mail, fax or email until 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 28.
- Fax: 402-742-2382
- Email: dhhs.regulations@nebraska.gov
- Mail: DHHS Legal Services, PO Box 95026, Lincoln, NE 68509
The department will also be hosting a 12-hour public hearing on Nov. 28. It starts at 7 a.m. in the Lincoln Room at the Lancaster Event Center.
You can read the regulations in full below.
