HB26-1087 • 2026

Safeguard Minors from Sex-Altering Interventions

The bill prohibits a person, health-care provider, or mental health professional from knowingly performing surgery on, or prescribing, administering, or providing hormones or puberty blockers to, a mi

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Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Rep. S. Bottoms
Last action: 2026-02-18
Official status: House Committee on Health & Human Services Postpone Indefinitely
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included claims about preventing state investigations and penalties against parents, which are not explicitly detailed in the official source material. The bill summary does mention that the state cannot investigate or penalize a minor's parent for refusing to consent to a prohibited intervention, but it does not specify what actions would be taken if such an investigation were attempted.

Safeguard Minors from Sex-Altering Interventions

This bill bans certain medical and mental health treatments for minors that aim to change their biological sex characteristics or affirm a belief of being in the wrong body.

What This Bill Does

Prohibits doctors, therapists, and other healthcare providers from performing surgeries or giving hormones and puberty blockers to minors who want to alter their biological sex.
Forbids mental health professionals from providing therapy that promotes or affirms a minor's belief of being in the wrong body.
Prevents state investigations or penalties against parents who refuse consent for these treatments.
Stops public schools, healthcare providers, and government entities from withholding information about minors' desires to transition biological sex from their parents.
Does not allow state or federal funding, Medicaid reimbursement, or health insurance coverage to pay for banned interventions.
Allows people who were minors when they received a banned intervention to sue the provider within 20 years after turning 18.

Who It Names or Affects

Minors seeking medical and mental health treatments related to gender identity.
Parents of minors considering such treatments.
Healthcare providers, therapists, and schools involved in these issues.
Government agencies responsible for funding or investigating these cases.

Terms To Know

Prohibited interventions: Medical procedures like surgeries, hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and certain types of counseling that aim to change a minor's biological sex characteristics or affirm their belief of being in the wrong body.
Class 5 felony: A serious criminal offense with severe penalties including imprisonment and fines.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify an effective date, so it is unclear when it will take effect.
It remains to be seen if the bill will face legal challenges or a referendum vote before becoming law.

Bill History

2026-02-18 House
House Committee on Health & Human Services Postpone Indefinitely
2026-02-02 House
Introduced In House - Assigned to Health & Human Services

Official Summary Text

The bill prohibits a person, health-care provider, or mental health professional from knowingly performing surgery on, or prescribing, administering, or providing hormones or puberty blockers to, a minor for the purpose of altering the minor's biological sex characteristics, or providing mental health therapy, counseling, or referrals that promote or affirm a minor's belief that the minor was born in the wrong body or that the minor needs medical intervention to address distress related to the minor's biological sex (prohibited interventions).

The bill prohibits the state from investigating or penalizing a minor's parent, or terminating the parent's rights, for refusing to consent to a prohibited intervention for the minor. A public school, health-care provider, or a governmental entity is prohibited from withholding information from a minor's parent regarding the minor's express desire to transition the minor's biological sex.

The bill prohibits state or federal funding, medicaid reimbursement, and health insurance coverage from being used to pay for a prohibited intervention. A person who, as a minor, was subjected to a prohibited intervention may bring a civil action within 20 years after attaining the age of 18 years against the person, health-care provider, or mental health professional who performed or provided the prohibited intervention.

The bill requires a regulator to revoke a health-care provider's or mental health professional's license for performing or providing a prohibited intervention. A person who knowingly performs or provides a prohibited intervention commits a class 5 felony, and the court is required to sentence the person to the maximum term of imprisonment and impose the maximum fine.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Second Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
INTRODUCED

LLS NO. 26-0547.01 Shelby Ross x4510 HOUSE BILL 26-1087
House Committees Senate Committees
Health & Human Services
A BILL FOR AN ACT
CONCERNING SAFEGUARDING A MINOR FROM HEALTH -CARE101
INTERVENTIONS INTENDED TO ALTER THE MINOR'S BIOLOGICAL102
SEX.103
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
http://leg.colorado.gov.)
The bill prohibits a person, health-care provider, or mental health
professional from knowingly performing surgery on, or prescribing,
administering, or providing hormones or puberty blockers to, a minor for
the purpose of altering the minor's biological sex characteristics, or
providing mental health therapy, counseling, or referrals that promote or
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Bottoms,
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
(None),
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.
affirm a minor's belief that the minor was born in the wrong body or that
the minor needs medical intervention to address distress related to the
minor's biological sex (prohibited interventions).
The bill prohibits the state from investigating or penalizing a
minor's parent, or terminating the parent's rights, for refusing to consent
to a prohibited intervention for the minor. A public school, health-care
provider, or a governmental entity is prohibited from withholding
information from a minor's parent regarding the minor's express desire to
transition the minor's biological sex.
The bill prohibits state or federal funding, medicaid
reimbursement, and health insurance coverage from being used to pay for
a prohibited intervention. A person who, as a minor, was subjected to a
prohibited intervention may bring a civil action within 20 years after
attaining the age of 18 years against the person, health-care provider, or
mental health professional who performed or provided the prohibited
intervention.
The bill requires a regulator to revoke a health-care provider's or
mental health professional's license for performing or providing a
prohibited intervention. A person who knowingly performs or provides
a prohibited intervention commits a class 5 felony, and the court is
required to sentence the person to the maximum term of imprisonment
and impose the maximum fine.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly2
finds and declares that:3
(a) Children lack the maturity to make permanent, life-altering4
medical and psychological decisions;5
(b) Medical and mental health interventions that attempt to alter6
a minor's biological sex are experimental and carry serious, irreversible7
consequences, including sterility, cognitive impacts, and increased mental8
health struggles;9
(c) European nations, including Sweden, Finland, and the United10
Kingdom, have halted or severely restricted such interventions due to11
evidence of harm;12
(d) Colorado law already protects children from other life-altering13
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decisions, such as consuming alcohol, smoking, and getting tattoos. The1
same protections should apply to medical and psychological interventions2
related to biological sex.3
(e) Parents have the fundamental right to guide their child's4
medical and psychological care without coercion from governmental5
agencies, schools, or medical professionals.6
SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 12-30-126 as7
follows:8
12-30-126. Prohibition on medical and mental health9
interventions on minors - parental rights - civil remedy - professional10
license revocation - criminal penalties - severability.11
(1) A PERSON , HEALTH -CARE PROVIDER , OR MENTAL HEALTH12
PROFESSIONAL SHALL NOT KNOWINGLY:13
(a) P ERFORM SURGERY ON A MINOR WHO IS UNDER EIGHTEEN14
YEARS OLD , OR PRESCRIBE , ADMINISTER , OR PROVIDE HORMONES OR15
PUBERTY BLOCKERS TO A MINOR , FOR THE PURPOSE OF ALTERING THE16
MINOR'S BIOLOGICAL SEX CHARACTERISTICS; OR17
(b) P ROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH THERAPY , PROFESSIONAL18
COUNSELING, OR REFERRALS THAT PROMOTE OR AFFIRM A MINOR'S BELIEF19
THAT THE MINOR WAS BORN IN THE WRONG B ODY OR THAT THE MINOR20
NEEDS MEDICAL INTERVENTION TO ADDRESS DISTRESS RELATED TO THE21
MINOR'S BIOLOGICAL SEX.22
(2) THE STATE SHALL NOT INVESTIGATE OR PENALIZE A MINOR 'S23
PARENT, OR TERMINATE THE PARENT'S RIGHTS, FOR REFUSING TO CONSENT24
TO A MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTION DESCRIBED IN25
SUBSECTION (1) OF THIS SECTION FOR THE MINOR.26
(3) A PUBLIC SCHOOL , HEALTH -CARE PROVIDER , OR27
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GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY SHALL NOT WITHHOLD INFORMATION FROM A1
MINOR'S PARENT REGARDING THE MINOR'S EXPRESS DESIRE TO TRANSITION2
THE MINOR'S BIOLOGICAL SEX.3
(4) STATE OR FEDERAL FUNDING, MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT, AND4
HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE MUST NOT BE USED TO PAY FOR A5
PROHIBITED MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTION DESCRIBED IN6
SUBSECTION (1) OF THIS SECTION.7
(5) A PERSON WHO, AS A MINOR , WAS SUBJECTED, ON OR AFTER8
THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION , TO A PROHIBITED MEDICAL OR9
MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTION DESCRIBED IN SUBSECTION (1) OF THIS10
SECTION MAY BRING A CIVIL ACTION AGAINST THE PERSON, HEALTH-CARE11
PROVIDER, OR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL WHO PERFORMED OR12
PROVIDED THE MEDICAL OR HEALTH -CARE INTERVENTION .13
NOTWITHSTANDING ARTICLES 80 AND 81 OF TITLE 13 TO THE CONTRARY,14
THE PERSON MAY COMMENCE THE ACTION WITHIN TWENTY YEARS AFTER15
ATTAINING THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN YEARS.16
(6) A REGULATOR SHALL REVOKE A HEALTH-CARE PROVIDER'S OR17
MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL'S LICENSE FOR VIOLATING THIS SECTION18
AND SHALL NOT REINSTATE THE LICENSE.19
(7) A PERSON WHO KNOWINGLY VIOLATES THIS SECTION COMMITS20
A CLASS 5 FELONY. THE COURT SHALL SENTENCE A PERSON CONVICTED OF21
VIOLATING THIS SECTION TO THE MAXIMUM TERM OF IMPRISONMENT AND22
IMPOSE THE MAXIMUM FINE SET FORTH IN SECTION 18-1.3-401.23
(8) IF ANY PROVISION OF THIS SECTION OR THE APPLICATION OF24
THIS SECTION TO ANY PERSON OR CIRCUMSTANCE IS HELD INVALID , THE25
INVALIDITY DOES NOT AFFECT OTHER PROVISIONS OR APPLICATIONS OF26
THE SECTION THAT CAN BE GIVEN EFFECT WITHOUT THE I NVALID27
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PROVISION OR APPLICATION, AND TO THIS END THE PROVISIONS OF THIS1
SECTION ARE DECLARED TO BE SEVERABLE.2
SECTION 3. Applicability. This act applies to offenses3
committed on or after the effective date of this act.4
SECTION 4. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act5
takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the6
ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August7
12, 2026, if adjournment sine die is on May 13, 2026); except that, if a8
referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the9
state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act10
within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect11
unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in12
November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the13
official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.14
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