HB1 Alabama 2021 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Wes AllenSecretary

Republican

Co-Sponsors

Chip BrownMike HolmesArnold MooneyPhillip Pettus

Session

Regular Session 2021

Title

Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, prohibits gender change therapy for minors, prohibits withholding of certain related information from parents

Summary

HB1 would ban gender-affirming medical care for minors, require schools to inform parents about students’ gender-related concerns, and create penalties for violations.

What This Bill Does

It would prohibit prescribing or performing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or surgeries for a minor to alter gender appearance or delay puberty, with limited medical exceptions for certain disorders of sex development. It would require schools to disclose information about a student’s gender perception to the student’s parent or guardian and bar staff from withholding such information. Violations would carry criminal penalties, classified as a Class C felony. The law also includes notes about local funding rules and would take effect 30 days after the governor signs it into law.

Who It Affects

• Minors who seek gender-affirming care: would be barred from receiving puberty blockers, hormone therapy, or gender-affirming surgeries unless an exception applies.
• Parents/guardians: would be informed by schools about their child’s gender-related perceptions, and withholding information could be penalized.
• Healthcare providers (doctors, nurses, clinics): could face criminal penalties for providing prohibited treatments or medications.
• School staff and administrators: would have a duty to disclose information to parents and could face penalties for non-disclosure.
• Individuals with medically verifiable disorders of sex development (DSD): would have limited exceptions allowing certain treatments under defined conditions.
• Local governments and school districts: subject to funding-related considerations noted in the bill and its constitutional protections.

Key Provisions

• Section 4(a): Prohibits prescribing, dispensing, or performing puberty blockers, supraphysiologic doses of testosterone or estrogen, sterilizing surgeries, and surgeries that create genitalia appearance different from biological sex for minors, except as provided in Section 4(b).
• Section 4(b): Provides exceptions for treatment of minors born with medically verifiable disorders of sex development (DSD) under specified circumstances.
• Section 4(c): Violating the prohibitions is a Class C felony.
• Section 5: School staff may not encourage or withhold information from a minor’s parent about the minor’s gender perception.
• Section 6: States the act does not modify existing medical liability laws.
• Section 8: Clarifies the bill is exempt from certain local-funding approval requirements because it creates a new crime.
• Section 9: Effective date is 30 days after the governor signs the bill into law.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Public Health Department