On Tuesday, Feb. 18, the Kansas Senate enacted Senate Bill 63, overriding Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto 85-34. Also known as the Help Not Harm Act, SB 63 seeks to prohibit the use of state funds to promote gender transitioning and restrict healthcare providers from providing gender-affirming care to individuals under the age of 18, and allow legal action against those who do. Gender-affirming care includes social, psychological and medical support to affirm an individual’s gender identity, aiding them in aligning their identity and appearance through counseling, hormone treatments or other treatments. This makes Kansas the 26th state to enact such legislation and marks the state’s first new law of 2025.

Following the Senate’s decision, many Kansas GOP legislators took to social media to defend the controversial new law. Kansas House Majority Leader Chris Croft, House Speaker Dan Hawkins and Speaker Pro Tempore Blake Carpenter released a joint statement responding to the override of Kelly’s veto. 

“Today, Kansas House Republicans successfully overrode Governor Kelly’s reckless veto of the Help Not Harm Act—voting overwhelmingly in favor of protecting Kansas kids from the irreversible harms of experimental gender transition surgeries and medicines,” Croft, Hawkins and Carpenter said.

Although the law garnered support from a number of individuals and organizations, others are concerned about its potential consequences. Senior Kara Unckless, who has been on hormone replacement therapy for nearly two years, said HRT has been helpful in allowing her appearance to align with her identity. Unckless emphasized gender-affirming care’s life-saving role and she fears this law could increase suicide rates among transgender youth. 

“Gender-affirming care not only saves the lives of many people, but it saved my life. I’ve been on it for almost two years, and now is the first time in 17 that I feel real and I feel like myself,” Unckless said.

Proponents of SB 63 believe it is necessary to protect children from potentially irreversible treatments. Former South Carolina Gov. Nickki Haley expressed her support for Help Not Harm legislation with her endorsement on the Family Policy Alliance website.

“As a mom, I know nothing is more important than protecting our children. That’s why I’m strongly opposed to gender transition surgeries and puberty blockers for minors,” Haley said. “No one should be allowed to permanently alter a child’s body. Children deserve compassion and support, not life-altering medical procedures.”

However, many are concerned that this could be a step closer to further restricting transgender individuals rights. Sophomore Oren Gnojek, who identifies as gender nonconforming, said that they felt disheartened by this legislation and believes it signals a lack of support for marginalized communities.

SB 63 is expected to take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. Before then, the new law requires health care providers to stop administering gender-affirming treatment by Dec. 31, 2025 and until then, develop a plan to reduce the child’s treatment gradually.