Conversion Therapy Ban, Gender-Affirming Care, and RFDA Signed into Law 

May 4, 2023

A trio of MMA-supported bills on banning conversion therapy, supporting gender-affirming care and protecting reproductive care were signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz on April 27.   

 The first, HF 16 (Rep. Athena Hollins, DFL – St. Paul; Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL – Minneapolis), prohibits the use of so-called “conversion therapy” for individuals under the age of 18. The bill received bipartisan support in both the House and Senate floor votes. Similar legislation passed the Minnesota House in previous sessions, but never received a vote in the Senate until this year.  

“There is no scientific evidence to support a need for conversion therapy since we are not dealing with pathological conditions. The concept of conversion therapy lacks scientific credibility and clinical usefulness,” argued the MMA in a letter from January. 

 The second bill, HF 146 (Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL – St. Paul; Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL – Apple Valley), protects transgender people and their families, from legal repercussions if they travel to Minnesota to receive gender-affirming care. The law also protects Minnesota providers who treat these patients. Specifically, the law prohibits enforcing out-of-state subpoenas, arrest warrants, and extradition requests for those from other states who came to Minnesota to receive treatment.  

“Gender-affirming healthcare has been associated with reduced rates of depression and anxiety in youth, according to studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health, leading to a lowered risk of suicide among a group that experiences higher rates of death by suicide, compared to the general population,” the MMA noted in its letter of support. “Minnesota clinicians providing medically necessary care, and patients receiving such care, must be protected from out-of-state legal repercussions associated with such services.” 

Lastly, HF 366 (Rep. Esther Agbaje, DFL – Minneapolis; Sen. Kelly Morrison, DFL – Deephaven), also known as the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act (RFDA), prevents state courts or officials from complying with extraditions, arrests, or subpoenas related to reproductive healthcare received in Minnesota. It also allows someone facing an abortion-related case against them in another state to countersue for associated costs, damages, and attorney fees.  

In its letter of support, the MMA advocated for the legal protections in the RFDA: “Minnesota clinicians providing reproductive care, and patients receiving such care, must be protected from out-of-state legal repercussions associated with such services. The need for the protections offered in the RFDA are particularly important in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.” 

All three laws are effective immediately.