{"id":888916,"date":"2026-10-20T14:24:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T14:24:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/888916\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T14:24:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T14:24:31","slug":"what-surgeries-would-proposition-135-ban-colorado-hospitals-wont-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/888916\/","title":{"rendered":"What surgeries would Proposition 135 ban? Colorado hospitals won\u2019t say."},"content":{"rendered":"

If you are an adolescent boy going through puberty, you may develop a condition called gynecomastia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Basically, the haywire hormones of the early teen years cause boys to develop breast tissue. The condition is generally not medically harmful, and it often goes away with time. But, in some cases, it doesn\u2019t go away or is too embarrassing, and teens opt for breast-reduction surgery.<\/p>\n

This presents a puzzle that Colorado hospitals either can\u2019t answer right now or don\u2019t want to: If Proposition 135<\/a> passes in November, would those surgeries be banned in the state?<\/p>\n

The public debate about 135 \u2014 which prohibits gender-related surgeries for people under the age of 18 with some exceptions \u2014 has mostly focused on surgeries for minors who identify as transgender. Proponents say those are essentially the only surgeries that would be stopped under the measure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were very careful with the definition to ensure that we described that as only treatment in response to a minor child\u2019s perception of their sex or gender,\u201d Erin Lee, one of the measure\u2019s chief proponents, said. \u201cSo again, (for the) purpose of changing sex.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the text of 135 is potentially broader. The measure doesn\u2019t clearly specify whether it applies only to transgender patients or only to surgeries related to sex change or gender transition. Instead, it says it bans surgeries \u201cfor the purpose of altering biological sex characteristics.\u201d Critics say that is vague enough that it could apply to surgeries like those for gynecomastia or other conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe meaning of the law will be inevitably subject to interpretation,\u201d Dr. Matthew Wynia, an internal medicine physician and a bioethicist at the University of Colorado Anschutz, wrote in an email. \u201cUnless the statute specifically leaves these interpretations up to the medical community (which it does not), then doctors will be playing defense, which will lead many to be extremely cautious about doing any procedure that might possibly be seen by anyone as against the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Elections workers sort ballots inside the Arapahoe County Elections Facility on Oct. 14 in Littleton. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)<\/p>\n

Hospitals won\u2019t say which surgeries they would stop<\/p>\n

Seeking to address the confusion, The Colorado Sun reached out to numerous hospitals asking which surgeries that they perform now would have to be stopped if 135 passes. None provided a clear answer.<\/p>\n

Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado operates an entire adolescent breast and chest program within its plastic and reconstructive surgery unit \u2014 which is separate from the hospital\u2019s programs that provide care for transgender patients. The program treats boys and girls for \u201ca variety of issues including pain and discomfort, limitations in their inability to participate in daily activities, or differences in appearance,\u201d according to the program\u2019s website<\/a>. This includes treatment for gynecomastia.<\/p>\n

Children\u2019s, however, declined to provide an analysis of the measure\u2019s potential impacts, saying it is not taking a position.<\/p>\n

Denver Health also responded to a request by saying it does not take positions on ballot measures. A spokesperson for UCHealth said the system would evaluate the measure and its impacts only if it passes.<\/p>\n

\"\"The exterior of Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado, photographed on Aug. 27, 2026. (John Ingold, The Colorado Sun)<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for HCA HealthONE said the hospital system believes its services won\u2019t be impacted at all, while a spokesperson for AdventHealth responded by saying the hospital does not offer gender-affirming care for transgender minors. Pressed further about the potential broader impacts of the measure, the spokesperson replied in an email, \u201cAs with any measure affecting patient care, we\u2019ll collaborate with state lawmakers to support whole-person health for the people we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the state Medicaid agency \u2014 the measure would ban Medicaid from paying for gender-related surgeries for youth in Colorado \u2014 said the agency could not comment because it has not conducted an analysis of the measure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Department would complete an analysis if Prop 135 passes,\u201d the agency wrote in a statement.<\/p>\n

Another wrinkle in the debate is that there are no hospitals in Colorado that say they offer the kinds of surgeries that everyone agrees would be banned \u2014 transition surgeries for transgender minors. Children\u2019s Hospital, for instance, says it has never offered those surgeries.<\/p>\n

Proponents of the measure, including Lee, say some of those hospitals are lying and cite research<\/a> conducted by an organization<\/a> that says it is opposed to \u201cdivisive trends in medicine, such as \u2018Diversity, Equity and Inclusion\u2019 and youth-focused gender ideology.\u201d The organization\u2019s database claims evidence from hospital billing records shows that 60 children received gender-affirming surgeries in Colorado from 2019 through 2023.<\/p>\n

Critics of the research have questioned its methodology<\/a> and accuracy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What Proposition 135 says<\/p>\n

Prop 135 would create a new law in Colorado<\/a> called the Protect Children From Irreversible Sex Change Surgery Act.<\/p>\n

The measure also contains what is known as a legislative declaration, which is a handful of statements that clarify intent and reasoning and can be used to interpret the statute. Among those statements is a reference to procedures that \u201csurgically alter a minor child\u2019s biological sex.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the operative text of the measure \u2014 the language that would be placed into statutes alongside other laws \u2014 does not mention sex change and instead refers to surgeries \u201caltering biological sex characteristics.\u201d The measure says those procedures are banned if they are conducted \u201cin response to a minor\u2019s perception of sex or gender.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the first flashpoint in the debate over the measure\u2019s impacts. What does that mean?<\/p>\n

The language does not reflect a clearly defined medical standard, argued Jack Teter, the vice president of government affairs at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, which is part of a coalition called Families Not Politics that opposes the measure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe perception of THEIR gender, or gender in general?\u201d Teter wrote in an email. \u201cThat raises difficult questions in real-world medical situations.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Teter brought up gynecomastia, the condition that causes adolescent boys to develop breasts. While the condition can cause soreness, clinics that provide treatment often focus on the emotional toll instead of any potential medical harm.<\/p>\n

As one Denver clinic wrote on its website<\/a>: \u201cTeenagers dealing with this condition often grapple with diminished self-esteem. They may resort to various measures to hide their chests, avoiding activities like swimming or participating in sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teter asked: If a teen boy opts for surgery so that his body more closely matches his perception of what a male body should look like, isn\u2019t that gender-affirming care? And wouldn\u2019t the measure ban that?<\/p>\n

The exemptions in Prop 135<\/p>\n

Supporters of 135 answer that question by pointing to the measure\u2019s exemptions.<\/p>\n

There are three:<\/p>\n

One exemption is for male circumcision.<\/p>\n

A second provides an exemption for \u201ctreatment for persons born with a medically verifiable disorder of sex development.\u201d<\/p>\n

And a third is an exemption for \u201ctreatment for acquired physical or chemical abnormalities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lee, one of the chief proponents of 135, suggested surgery for gynecomastia would fall into the second exemption.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is a verifiable condition that requires medical treatment,\u201d she said. \u201cThat is not an attempt to change sex. So, it is not a surgery for the purpose of changing sex.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Erin Lee, at her home in Wellington in March, is leading the support for ballot initiatives that would prohibit transgender youth from gendered sports and prohibit gender-affirming surgeries for minors. (Kevin J. Beaty, Denverite via the Colorado Capitol News Alliance)<\/p>\n

Moti Gorin, a philosophy professor and bioethicist at Colorado State University, said surgery for gynecomastia could be covered by the third exemption. Gorin was one of the authors of a federal report<\/a> critical of gender-affirming care for transgender minors, though he is not involved in the campaign backing 135.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I understand it, Prop 135 is intended to cover only those surgical interventions on minors that aim to alter the patient\u2019s body so that it more closely resembles the body of a member of the opposite sex, and that it is not meant to restrict interventions that aim to prevent, treat, or cure physical pathology,\u201d he wrote in an email.<\/p>\n

But opponents of the measure contend these interpretations fall short.<\/p>\n

\"\"People demonstrate in opposition to Colorado propositions 134 and 135 outside of the state Capitol in Denver on Sept. 15. The measures would prohibit transgender kids from participating in gendered sports that do not align with their biological sex and whether to outlaw surgery on children for the purpose of altering their sex characteristics. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)<\/p>\n

Though not defined in the measure, a \u201cdisorder of sex development\u201d is generally considered in medicine to refer to one of dozens of conditions<\/a> with an underlying genetic cause. It typically does not refer to gynecomastia.<\/p>\n

Second, opponents say, it\u2019s not clear that gynecomastia qualifies as an abnormality. Estimates are that more than half of adolescent boys<\/a> have some degree of breast development during puberty. And the measure similarly doesn\u2019t define what constitutes an \u201cacquired\u201d condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince the exemptions aren\u2019t written by doctors, they often use words that don\u2019t have any specific medical meanings \u2014 which makes them even harder to interpret,\u201d said Wynia, the CU-Anschutz bioethicist. \u201cThat is the fundamental problem with practicing medicine by statute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wynia likened the potential consequences to those of abortion bans passed in other states, where access to some types of nonabortion-related maternal care has also diminished<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Debate over the Blue Book<\/p>\n

A number of Colorado medical groups oppose the measure. They include the Colorado Medical Society, the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians and the Colorado Psychiatric Society. The groups say they oppose government interference in doctors\u2019 medical decisions.<\/p>\n

Lee said the campaign did consult with doctors, biologists and attorneys in writing the measure, which she said was carefully crafted and sought to avoid unintended consequences.<\/p>\n

The blue book<\/a>, the state\u2019s nonpartisan voter information guide that is prepared using input from both proponents and opponents, states that 135 \u201cmay also limit other surgeries for minors, including non-transgender minors, if the treatment is interpreted as being in response to the minor\u2019s sex or gender perception.\u201d In an interview, Lee said she doesn\u2019t think the blue book\u2019s language is fair and likened it to propaganda.<\/p>\n

The measure, she said, \u201cexplicitly states that this would only outlaw surgeries for the purpose \u2014 the keyword being purpose \u2014 of attempting to alter biological sex.\u201d<\/p>\n

But opponents argue that whether doctors, lawyers and regulators will see it the same way if the measure passes isn\u2019t clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour guess is as good as ours,\u201d Teter said, \u201cand that\u2019s exactly the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Type of Story: News<\/p>\n

Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you are an adolescent boy going through puberty, you may develop a condition called gynecomastia. Basically, the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":888917,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[9039,63080,97,252,253,372761,59064],"class_list":["post-888916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health-care","tag-childrens-hospital-colorado","tag-gender-affirming-care","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare","tag-proposition-135","tag-transgender"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/888916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=888916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/888916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/888917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=888916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=888916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=888916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}