arkansas house bill 1570 (2021) arkansas house bill 1570 (2021) arkansas house bill 1570 (hb 1570), also known as the save adolescents from experimentation (safe) act or act 626, is a 2021 law in the state of arkansas that bans gender-affirming medical procedures for transgender people under 18, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and sex reassignment surgery. the law also bans the use of public funds for and prohibits insurance from covering gender transition procedures, while doctors who provide treatment in violation of the ban can be sued for damages or professionally sanctioned. the measure makes arkansas the first u.s. state to make gender-affirming medical care illegal. save adolescents from experimentation act93rd arkansas general assembly long title an act to create the arkansas save adolescents from experimentation (safe) act; and for other purposes. citationa.r. legis. assemb. act 626. reg. sess. 2021-2022 (2021).territorial extentarkansaspassed byarkansas house of representativespassedmarch 10, 2021passed byarkansas senatepassedmarch 29, 2021legislative historyfirst chamber: arkansas house of representativesbill titlehouse bill 1570introduced byrobin lundstrum (r–87)first readingfebruary 25, 2021second readingfebruary 25, 2021third readingmarch 10, 2021second chamber: arkansas senatebill titlehouse bill 1570introduced byalan clark (r–13)first readingmarch 10, 2021second readingmarch 10, 2021third readingmarch 29, 2021summarybans gender affirming medical procedures for youth, prohibits the use of public funds for and prohibits insurance from covering "gender transition procedures", enables disciplinary action against medical professionals who violate the banstatus: blocked in early 2020, state republican lawmakers introduced numerous bills restricting access to gender-affirming healthcare; the measures did not pass partly due to state legislatures adjourning due to the covid-19 pandemic and forgoing committee votes on the measures. efforts to pass the healthcare bans were renewed the following year: as of march 2021, the williams institute has documented legislation in 21 states that seek to prevent access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth. prior to hb 1570, arkansas governor asa hutchinson had signed two bills criticized as targeting transgender people: senate bill 354, a transgender sports bill, and senate bill 289, a religious and moral exemptions bill for doctors. hb 1570 was introduced in february 2021, and passed through the arkansas general assembly by march. governor asa hutchinson vetoed the measure in april, but was overridden by the legislature. the law would have taken effect in july, but was stayed by a federal judge pending the outcome of a lawsuit filed by the american civil liberties union in may. an appeals court upheld the injunction in august 2022. supporters of the bill claim that gender transition procedures are experimental, that their long-term effects have not been established, and that minors need to be protected from making permanent changes to their bodies. supporters include several conservative organizations and republican politicians. several national medical organizations have disputed the claims made by opponents and opposed the bill, including the american medical association, the american psychological association, and the american academy of pediatrics. some detractors and lgbt organizations have alleged that the bill represents the anti-transgender beliefs of its supporters. governor hutchinson argued that the bill represented "vast government overreach". provisions hb 1570 bans doctors from providing any "gender transition procedures" to transgender people under 18, defined as any medical or surgical service that alters a person's sex, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and sex reassignment surgery. the bill also prohibits doctors from referring patients to other providers for such treatment. it does not include a grandfather clause for minors undergoing treatment at the time of the ban. the bill contains specific exceptions to the ban on medical services for intersex medical interventions or patients dealing with complications from previous gender-related medical treatment. doctors who provide treatment in violation of the ban can be sued for damages or professionally sanctioned. hb 1570 also bans the use of public funds for and prohibits insurance from covering gender transition procedures for minors. background