There is no basis for criminalizing medical procedures for changing a child's gender - Justice Ministry

RIGA - The draft law submitted to the Saeima, which provides for the criminalization of medical procedures for changing the sex of children, is unfounded, according to a letter from the Ministry of Justice to the Saeima Legal Affairs Committee.

The Ministry notes in its letter that the Ministry of Health has clarified that surgical gender reassignment procedures are not and have never been performed on minors in Latvia.

In the opinion of the Ministry of Justice, it is not justified to establish criminal liability for medical gender reassignment of a child, as well as for puberty blocking and the use of cross-hormonal therapy on minors with the aim of gender reassignment.

Issues related to medical treatment should primarily be addressed in the healthcare sector, based on professional medical assessment, ensuring that the primary focus is on protecting the child's health, the Ministry points out.

As reported earlier, in mid-September, parliamentarians referred to the Legal Affairs Committee amendments to the Criminal Code drafted by the opposition party Latvia First (LPV), which propose to introduce penalties in connection with gender reassignment of minors.

The LPV's draft law started its journey in Parliament with the opposition voting together with the ruling coalition member, the Union of Greens and Farmers. Coalition MPs from New Unity and Progressives voted against the bill.

The LPV MPs propose to add a new article to the Criminal Code to stipulate that the medical sex change of a minor is punishable by imprisonment for up to five years, with or without confiscation of property.

For blocking puberty and using cross-hormonal therapy against a minor for the purpose of gender reassignment, the LPV MPs propose that the offense be punishable by up to four years' imprisonment, temporary imprisonment, probation supervision or community service. The proposal proposes that the offense of "knowingly leading a minor to undergo gender reassignment, puberty blocking or color hormone therapy manipulation" be punishable by up to three years' imprisonment, short-term imprisonment, probation supervision or community service.