Kansas Legislature Overrides Governor's Veto, Bans Gender-Transition Treatments for Minors

The Kansas Legislature, controlled by Republicans, successfully overrode Governor Laura Kelly's veto of a bill prohibiting gender-affirming treatments for minors. This move aligns Kansas with approximately half of the states in the US that have implemented bans or significant restrictions on such procedures.

The bill garnered widespread support from Republican lawmakers but faced opposition from Governor Kelly, who expressed disappointment over the Legislature's continued interference in private medical decisions of Kansans. She had vetoed similar bills in the past two years, and lawmakers had previously failed to override her vetoes.

However, this time, Republicans in both chambers secured the necessary two-thirds majority to override the governor's veto. They celebrated the decision, aligning it with President Trump's stance on the issue. Notably, Kansas had been one of the few states where Republicans held significant legislative power without such a law in place.

Senator Ty Masterson, the president of the Kansas Senate, declared in a statement that the supermajority vote effectively ended Kansas' status as a "sanctuary state" for gender-affirming treatments for minors.