New California Law Requires Insurance Companies to Hide Minors’ Abortions and Gender Identity Treatments from Parents

One of the anti-family bills the California legislature was considering a few months ago has been signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. AB 1184 prohibits insurance companies from revealing to their policyholders – i.e., mom or dad – certain medical services their children are receiving.

The law labels the secret procedures and medicines “sensitive services.” These include “all health care services related to mental or behavioral health, sexual and reproductive health, sexually transmitted infections, substance use disorder, gender affirming care, and intimate partner violence,” among other things.

So, if your minor child receives an abortion or cross-sex hormones to begin transitioning to the opposite sex, the insurance company pays for the procedure and mom and dad don’t find out in any of the typical memos or claim papers it sends to policyholders who have paid for the policy.

The California Family Council (CFC) is an ally of Focus on the Family. They have been keeping track of this bill as it worked its way through the legislature. Jonathan Keller is President of CFC.

“How can moms and dads protect their children if insurance companies deliberately keep them in the dark?” said Keller in a CFC Facebook post. “Parents are responsible for the health and safety of their sons and daughters. Even the best-intentioned medical providers cannot replace the role of mothers and fathers. California should not force doctors to hide the truth about irreversible medical procedures like abortion and sterilizing hormone treatments.”

The bill, according to CFC, was sponsored by Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California.

Governor Newsom lauded AB 1184 in a news release, which he signed along with another piece of legislation, AB 1356, which makes it a crime to record or photograph abortionists or the women entering their facilities.

“California has been a leader in protecting access to sexual and reproductive rights, but as we’ve seen recently with unprecedented attacks on these rights, we can and must do more,” said Governor Newsom. “I applaud the establishment of the California Future of Abortion Council and look forward to its important work to advance our state’s leadership on this vital issue. I’m proud today to sign these two bills that demonstrate our dedication to strengthening and further protecting access to reproductive health care services in California.”

In California, minors do not need parents’ consent to such services if they are 12 years of age or older, with the exception of sex-change surgery. For abortions, there is no age requirement for consent.

The stated justifications for these types of bills which nullify parental rights usually cite “confidentiality” or fears of abusive parents who might be the cause for the minor’s medical condition.

But for the vast majority of cases, these bills result in substituting the government for parents as the decision-makers in dangerous and life-changing circumstances. That’s just not right. And their overriding purpose – as evidenced by Planned Parenthood’s participation in the bill-making process – is to make money from performing abortions and providing “transgender services” for kids suffering from sexual-identity confusion. 

Related

Focus on the Family has many “Transgender Resources” to help those struggling with these complex issues, as well as information and support for their families, friends and churches.

The American College of Pediatricians has more information about “Gender Confusion and Transgender Identity.”

Focus on the Family resources on abortion can be found here.

Photo from Shutterstock.