2,044 events on record Subscribe September 10, 2026
Standing Record home The Standing Record A non-partisan record of US democratic norms —
and the events that erode them.

New Hampshire Gov. Ayotte signed HB712 banning gender-affirming surgeries for transgender minors

On August 1, 2025, New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed House Bill 712 into law, banning gender-affirming chest surgeries for transgender minors under 18, with an exception allowing minors already receiving care to continue. The law was signed alongside companion bill HB377, a puberty-blocker and hormone-therapy ban, together making New Hampshire the first state in New England to ban gender-affirming care for minors. It took effect January 1, 2026, and authorizes board-of-medicine discipline and civil suits by affected minors against providers.

Jurisdiction
New Hampshire
Location
Concord, New Hampshire

Abuses documented

Actors

On August 1, 2025, New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed House Bill 712, banning gender-affirming chest surgeries -- what the bill terms "transgender chest surgery" -- for anyone under 18. The law provides a narrow exception allowing minors already receiving care to continue, and took effect January 1, 2026. Ayotte signed the bill the same day as companion measure House Bill 377, a ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors, together making New Hampshire the first state in New England to ban gender-affirming care for minors.

Violations are classified as unprofessional conduct subject to board of medicine discipline, and affected minors may sue providers for damages; the state attorney general is also authorized to enforce compliance. Ayotte described the measures as protecting children from medical decisions with lifelong consequences. LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations including GLAD Law and the ACLU of New Hampshire opposed the ban, calling it cruel to transgender youth and their families, and were weighing potential legal challenges as of mid-2026, though none had been filed.

Why we recorded this

Civil-rights protections bar government policy from disadvantaging people based on protected characteristics, including gender identity. New Hampshire's HB712 prohibits gender-affirming chest surgeries for transgender minors specifically, a categorical restriction tied to a patient's transgender status rather than individualized medical judgment available to other minors. This archive records when a state legislates a medical restriction that applies only because of who a patient is.

Sources

  1. New Hampshire HB712 | 2025 | Regular Session — LegiScan primary accessed July 13, 2026
  2. Advocates plan next moves after Ayotte signs bans on gender-affirming care for minors — New Hampshire Bulletin investigative accessed July 13, 2026
  3. New Hampshire becomes first Northeastern state to ban gender-affirming care for minors — The Hill secondary accessed July 13, 2026
  4. New Hampshire becomes first state in New England to ban gender-affirming care for minors — Boston Globe secondary accessed July 13, 2026

See also