Governor Kelly Ayotte has signed two bills into law, making New Hampshire the first state in New England to implement a ban on all gender-transition procedures that alter the body for minors.
According to the NH Journal, HB 712 prohibits breast mutilation surgery for those under 18, while HB 377 bans the use of cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers in minors. The law covers all surgical and chemical procedures intended to change a child's sexual characteristics.
Previously, former Governor Chris Sununu had already banned “bottom surgery” for minors, which includes castration. The new laws extend this ban to “top surgery”—elective mastectomies for girls and breast implants for boys—as well as medications used in gender transitions.
The legislation will be effective starting January 2026. However, minors already undergoing these treatments and who wish to continue will be allowed to proceed.
With these laws, New Hampshire, which was previously among 27 states with partial restrictions on trans procedures for youth, now aligns with 19 states that ban all such interventions.
The bills, championed by Rep. Lisa Mazur, a Republican from Goffstown, were passed by lawmakers with almost unanimous support from the Republican side.
Critics of the bans argue they interfere with family autonomy and discriminate against transgender youth. Democratic leaders maintained that medical decisions should be made by families and doctors, asserting that the state was overstepping into private matters. They further argued that limiting access to puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones could adversely affect the mental health of youth experiencing gender confusion.
A survey by NH Journal/Praecones Analytica released in July indicated that 69% of New Hampshire voters support the bans, whereas 16% are opposed.
After a January directive from President Donald Trump that stopped federal funding for the “so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another,” many healthcare providers ceased performing gender-affirming surgeries on individuals below 19. The instruction directed agencies to enforce this restriction across any institution receiving federal health, education, or research funding.
In May, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published a comprehensive 400-page report outlining the risks tied to attempting to transition a child's sex. The report revealed that such procedures could lead to infertility, sexual dysfunction, impaired bone development, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, psychiatric issues, surgical complications, and regret.
