North Carolina lawmakers finalized legislation on Wednesday that would prohibit certain gender-affirming care for children and prevent state funds from being used to provide such therapies and procedures.
The House voted 67-46 to accept a version of the measure approved by the Senate on Tuesday. The legislation would bar any medical professional from providing hormone therapy, puberty blockers and surgical gender transition procedures to anyone under 18, with some medical exceptions.
Young people who begin treatment before Aug. 1 could continue receiving such care if it's considered medically necessary and their parents consent.
The bill, written by Republicans, now heads to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, whose veto is likely. Cooper has expressed opposition to bills that target trans youth. The GOP holds narrow veto-proof majorities in both chambers.
If the bill is enacted into law, critics have already signaled litigation. Most of the 20 or so states with laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors face lawsuits.
A federal judge struck down Arkansas' ban as unconstitutional last week, and judges on Wednesday temporarily blocked portions of bans in Kentucky and Tennessee.
The bill received final General Assembly approval after impassioned speeches by lawmakers. Opponents of the measure consider denying such care to be cruel. They said it would lead to more depression and higher risks of suicide for trans youth.
"You're saying to them, `you don't matter. We don't value you. We don't care about you because you don't need medical treatment. You don't need anything because you're not human,"' said Rep. Allison Dahle, a Wake County Democrat.
The bill's supporters say such life-altering treatments have long-term implications and argued they haven't been fully scrutinized, so such services should wait before someone is legally an adult.
"The whole point of this is to protect our most vulnerable population from these atrocities," said Rep. Ken Fontenot, a Wilson County Republican
According to leading professional health associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the Endocrine Society, gender-affirming care is considered safe and medically necessary.
While trans minors rarely receive such surgeries, they are commonly prescribed drugs to delay puberty and sometimes begin taking hormones before they reach adulthood.
The bill says a doctor or other health care provider could have their license revoked for noncompliance with the rules, and separately they could be subject to monetary damages from an adult who alleges the procedure or therapies they received as a child brought them harm.
Also pending on Cooper's desk is legislation approved last week that would prohibit transgender girls from playing in middle school, high school and college sports designated for girls.
And a wide-ranging public school education measure approved by the House later Wednesday would prohibit instruction about gender identity and sexuality in K-4 classroom. The measure, which is nearing final legislative approval, also would require all public school teachers in most circumstances to alert parents before they call a student by a different name or pronoun.
A Los Angeles prosecutor said on Thursday he is asking the court to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez after they have spent 34 years in prison for the shotgun murder of their parents, after new evidence emerged indicating they were sexually abused by their father for years.
The Maritime Sikh Society says the body of a young employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax last weekend was found by her mother.
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces growing pressure from within his own caucus to step aside, former B.C. premier Christy Clark says she is open to returning to politics.
The federal government is slashing immigration targets to levels that will flatten population growth as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admits the government did not get the balance right after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Montreal police say four teenagers suffered stab wounds after an altercation near John F. Kennedy High School in the city's Villeray鈥擲aint-Michel鈥擯arc-Extension borough on Thursday.
Four people are dead and another is in hospital after a Tesla driving through downtown Toronto at a high rate of speed crashed into a guardrail and struck a concrete pillar on Lake Shore Boulevard.
A new lawsuit alleges Vince McMahon knowingly enabled the sexual exploitation of children by a WWE employee in the 1980s.
Voting officials say recounts in two ridings that could determine the outcome of British Columbia's election won't start until Sunday afternoon.
The Ottawa Police Service has identified the woman who was stabbed to death at Paul Landry Park on Uplands Drive Thursday morning.
U.S. authorities earlier this year knew the whereabouts of a former Canadian Olympian who is now on the run for allegedly running a transnational drug trafficking ring and orchestrating murders in Ontario, according to Ontario court documents.
The Maritime Sikh Society says the body of a young employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax last weekend was found by her mother.
Montreal police say four teenagers suffered stab wounds after an altercation near John F. Kennedy High School in the city's Villeray鈥擲aint-Michel鈥擯arc-Extension borough on Thursday.
Voting officials say recounts in two ridings that could determine the outcome of British Columbia's election won't start until Sunday afternoon.
The Saskatchewan RCMP is calling off its dangerous persons alert after two people were arrested in the Tobin Lake area Thursday afternoon.
A former Lakeshore man is facing a 10-year prison sentence after he was found guilty on drug charges.
A Los Angeles prosecutor said on Thursday he is asking the court to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez after they have spent 34 years in prison for the shotgun murder of their parents, after new evidence emerged indicating they were sexually abused by their father for years.
An Israeli strike on a school where displaced people were sheltering in the central Gaza Strip killed at least 17 people on Thursday, nearly all women and children, Palestinian medical officials said.
Donald Trump said Thursday that if he wins the White House, he will fire special counsel Jack Smith 'within two seconds' of taking office.
Colorado funeral home owners accused of misspending nearly US$900,000 in pandemic relief funds and living lavishly, all while allegedly storing 190 decaying bodies in a building and sending grieving families fake ashes, pleaded guilty Thursday to federal fraud charges for defrauding customers.
Elon Musk's super PAC didn't announce a winner for its "daily" $1 million giveaway to registered swing state voters on Wednesday, the same day news broke that the Justice Department warned Musk鈥檚 group that its sweepstakes might be illegal.
Widespread flooding and landslides set off by a tropical storm in the northeastern Philippines on Thursday left at least 24 people dead, swept away cars and prompted authorities to scramble for motorboats to rescue trapped villagers, some on roofs.
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces growing pressure from within his own caucus to step aside, former B.C. premier Christy Clark says she is open to returning to politics.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is digging in, saying 'yes,' he's staying on as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. His assertion comes less than 24 hours after telling his MPs that he'd reflect on his future in the face of a deadline imposed by defectors in his caucus, and that鈥檚 left some feeling 'disappointed.'
Participants in a federal public inquiry are calling on Ottawa to take bolder action against foreign interference by making effective use of legal tools, closing loopholes and fostering public education.
Quebec's health department says it will be ready to meet the expected demand for advanced applications for medical assistance in dying when it begins accepting those requests next week.
A Colorado man has filed the first lawsuit against McDonald鈥檚 relating to its E. coli outbreak linked to Quarter Pounders that, so far, has led to at least 49 illnesses across 10 states, including one death.
Radon is a radioactive gas found in nearly every Canadian home. A new research study is putting a renewed spotlight on the invisible, odourless element that is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in Canada.
London Ont. born astronaut and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen spoke with thousands of high school students across the country today about the upcoming Artemis II mission.
Diverse firefly species lit up the night during the late Mesozoic period, scientists have confirmed.
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A new organization that aims to help people struggling with addiction officially launched in Ottawa Thursday, named after the late Matthew Perry.
Argentina's police raided the Buenos Aires hotel where ex-One Direction singer Liam Payne stayed before dying last week after falling from a third-floor balcony, a government official said Thursday.
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Boeing factory workers voted against the company鈥檚 latest contract offer and remain on the picket lines six weeks into a strike that has stopped production of the aerospace giant鈥檚 bestselling jetliners.
Rogers Communications Inc. is selling a minority stake in a portion of its wireless network infrastructure for $7 billion amid a 'pivot' in strategy as it seeks to pay down debt.
Shake Shack has announced plans to open two more Toronto locations in the coming months.
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The Vegas Golden Knights made defenceman Shea Theodore their highest-paid player Thursday, signing him to a seven-year contract worth an average of US$7.425 million per year.
Chris Boucher was back, for at least one game. The veteran forward spent most of last season at the far end of the Toronto Raptors' bench, rarely seeing playing time.
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An increased risk of fire has prompted the recall of thousands of Honda hybrid vehicles in Canada.
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Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.
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Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
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A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
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Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
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The Ottawa Police Service has identified the woman who was stabbed to death at Paul Landry Park on Uplands Drive Thursday morning.
A new organization that aims to help people struggling with addiction officially launched in Ottawa Thursday, named after the late Matthew Perry.
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Montreal police say four teenagers suffered stab wounds after an altercation near John F. Kennedy High School in the city's Villeray鈥擲aint-Michel鈥擯arc-Extension borough on Thursday.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and on Thursday the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation held a brunch in downtown Montreal featuring a special guest: Matthew Knowles.
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The man who cut up the body of his grandson's mother is going to prison after the Alberta Court of Appeal overturned his previous sentence.
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Some Edmonton public school support staff walked off the job Thursday morning, after the province stepped in on Wednesday to prevent strike action.
The Maritime Sikh Society says the body of a young employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax last weekend was found by her mother.
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The Nova Scotia Liberals are accusing former member Fred Tilley of accessing party files one day before he crossed the aisle to join the Progressive Conservatives.
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U.S. authorities earlier this year knew the whereabouts of a former Canadian Olympian who is now on the run for allegedly running a transnational drug trafficking ring and orchestrating murders in Ontario, according to Ontario court documents.
The Saskatchewan RCMP is calling off its dangerous persons alert after two people were arrested in the Tobin Lake area Thursday afternoon.
A former tire recycling company in Saskatoon is announcing additional layoffs months after a dispute with the provincial government.
Saskatoon police are investigating a series of suspicious fires that were lit in the Mayfair neighbourhood on Thursday morning.
The Maritime Sikh Society says the body of a young employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax last weekend was found by her mother.
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London police are asking for the public鈥檚 help identifying a suspect involved in a robbery on Sunday.
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A haunted house in the Ontario Town of Innisfil is causing a real scare for some people a week before Halloween.
A former Lakeshore man is facing a 10-year prison sentence after he was found guilty on drug charges.
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The Chatham-Kent Police Service is investigating an indecent act report it received.
Mounties on Vancouver Island are investigating after a set of popular driftwood sculptures was reportedly stolen last week.
Voting officials say recounts in two ridings that could determine the outcome of British Columbia's election won't start until Sunday afternoon.
At least 1,749 people have died from toxic and unregulated drugs in British Columbia since the start of the year 鈥 a rate of more than six people per day, according to the latest data from the provincial coroner's office.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass deserves a better shot at becoming a significant tourism hub than the UCP government is giving it, an NDP shadow minister said as the southeastern Alberta community gears up for a coal mining plebiscite.
A three-game road trip across the prairies got off on a sour note Wednesday night as the Medicine Hat Tigers defeated the Calgary Hitmen 4-2.
A town in southern Alberta will be one of the first to let golf carts be driven on select roads as part of a provincial pilot program.
Police seized drugs, $70,000 and a large gold chain in a drug trafficking bust earlier this month in Thunder Bay.
An annual event held in Sault Ste. Marie is back for the 29th year to ensure local kids get the winter clothing they need as the temperature dips.
The lack of 24-hour public washrooms has been a long-standing issue in the Sault, especially considering the rise in homelessness.
Investigators found the remains of a 77-year-old American man on Wednesday at the scene of a fire that destroyed a hotel in western Newfoundland earlier on the weekend.
Police in western Newfoundland say a 77-year-old man visiting the province from Kansas is missing after a fire at a hotel in Deer Lake, N.L.
At 2 p.m. on Thursday, the scene at the Lions Club in Clarenville, N.L., rivalled any rowdy St. John's bar that thumps with music late on a weekend night.
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