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West Virginia lawmakers push to remove a suicide risk exemption from gender-affirming care bill
Published
2 years agoon
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Some Republican lawmakers in West Virginia want to ban transgender youth at risk for self-harm or suicide from accessing medical interventions such as hormone therapy.
The GOP-controlled Legislature banned such interventions last year while allowing the self-harm and suicide exception. Now, a group of lawmakers want to eliminate that narrow definition, which requires parental consent and a diagnosis of severe gender dysphoria from two medical professionals, both of whom must provide written testimony that medical interventions are necessary to prevent or limit possible or actual self-harm.
Coming up against a major legislative deadline next week, lawmakers in the House Health and Human Resources Committee on Friday rushed to advance a bill to the full chamber that would completely ban interventions like hormone therapy and puberty blockers. Gender-affirming surgery, which physicians testified doesn’t occur in the state, was banned last year.
It’s unclear what the chances of passage are for the bill. The House of Delegates passed a similar measure last year, but it was significantly altered by Republican Senate Majority Leader Tom Takubo, a physician who expressed concern about the high suicide rate for transgender youth.
The bill’s lead sponsor, Republican Del. Geoff Foster, said Friday he thought last year’s bill — which he also sponsored — was better, “more clear and concise” without Takubo’s changes.
“These are very drastic solutions that aren’t fixing the problem,” he said of puberty blockers and hormone therapy, saying what’s needed is more treatment for depression. He may not believe in gender-affirming care, he said, but those 18 and older can make their own decisions, not kids.
No one spoke in support of the measure before the vote in House Health, but the committee defeated a motion by Democratic Del. Mike Pushkin to allow youth receiving treatment to continue, even if the interventions are banned for new patients.
No testimony was shared by patients who receive the care or the physicians who treat them. Fairness West Virginia, the state’s only LGBTQ advocacy organization, said a request submitted for a public hearing was denied Friday by Republican House Speaker Roger Hanshaw’s office.
“The argument for this bill is that these are irreversible decisions made by minors, but that’s not true,” Pushkin said, before the vote. “This type of treatment is reversible — what isn’t reversible is suicide.”
At least 23 states have now enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and most of those states face lawsuits. Lawmakers in West Virginia and other states advancing bans on transgender health care for youth and young adults often characterize gender-affirming treatments as medically unproven, potentially dangerous and a symptom of “woke” culture.
On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia said they wouldn’t hesitate to take legal action, too.
“If this bill becomes law, we’ll see the state in court,” the organization wrote on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.
Isabella Cortez, Gender Policy Manager for Fairness West Virginia, called the vote “abhorrent” and a “last-minute mad dash to eliminate” care that has already been significantly limited.
Every major medical organization, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychiatric Association, supports gender-affirming care for youths.
Many doctors, mental health specialists and medical groups have argued that treatments for young transgender people are safe and beneficial, though rigorous long-term research is lacking. Federal health officials have described gender-affirming care as crucial to the health and wellbeing of transgender children and adolescents.
Last year, West Virginia University Medicine Pediatrician Dr. Kacie Kidd — one of the only physicians offering this care to minors in the state — said the effects of puberty-blocking medications are reversible, though it’s rare that a patient chooses to reverse treatment.
Kidd, who is medical director of West Virginia University Medicine’s Children’s Gender and Sexual Development Clinic, also said no patients are placed on hormone therapy before they reach puberty. When minors are placed on hormone therapy, it’s a careful decision made in conjunction with the patient and their family members.
She also said she feared the bill would put her patients’ lives at risk, noting that the percentage of transgender adolescents considering suicide is around 300% higher than the rate for all West Virginia young people, regardless of gender identity. But interventions like puberty blockers and hormone therapy drastically reduce that risk, she said.
Takubo, a physician, cited more than a dozen peer-reviewed studies showing a decrease in rates of suicide ideation and attempts among youth with severe gender dysphoria who had access to medication therapy.
Gender dysphoria is defined by medical professionals as severe psychological distress experienced by those whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth.
Del. Foster said the bill as it was written last year contained all other exemptions it needed: one for those who are born intersex and another for people taking treatments for infection, injury, disease or disorder that has been “caused by or exacerbated by the performance of gender transition procedures.”
He said that the bill “already took care of any exceptions that were not specifically for the intention of changing one’s biological sex to one that was different than that assigned at birth.”
During Friday’s meeting, Democratic Del. Anitra Hamilton said there have been plenty of data and studies that carefully considered gender-affirming care and deemed it legitimate.
“I think our ultimate goal is prevention of suicide,” she said.
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Sports
GM Brands Dominate Detroit as Cadillac and Corvette Capture IMSA Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic Wins
Published
4 days agoon
May 31, 2026
DETROIT (FNN SPORTS) — Cadillac and Chevrolet celebrated a historic hometown sweep Saturday as both General Motors brands captured class victories in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic.
Competing in the shadow of General Motors’ Renaissance Center headquarters along the Detroit Riverwalk, the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R driven by Jack Aitken and Earl Bamber dominated the 100-minute race to secure the overall victory and Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class win.
In Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims powered the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R to victory, giving Chevrolet a celebrated win on its home turf.
Cadillac Continues Detroit Dominance
The No. 31 Cadillac controlled the race from start to finish, executing a near-flawless performance in front of General Motors executives, employees, and supporters.
The victory marked Cadillac’s fifth IMSA triumph in Detroit, adding to previous wins in 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2022. The result also extended the No. 31 team’s streak to seven consecutive GTP podium finishes.
“To do it here at the home of GM and Cadillac with so many friends and family with us, my team absolutely nailed it,” Aitken said after the race.
The No. 25 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 finished second in class, while the No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R completed the GTP podium.
Meanwhile, the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 earned the IMSA Michelin Sustainability in Racing Award with its fourth-place finish.
Corvette Capitalizes on Late-Race Drama
While Cadillac’s victory was largely under control, the GTD PRO race featured significant late-race drama.
Garcia nearly lost the lead when Jack Hawksworth attempted a pass entering Turn 1 in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3. Contact between the two cars triggered a penalty against Hawksworth, whose Lexus received a drive-through penalty for incident responsibility.
Despite the pressure, Garcia maintained control on the final restart to secure his first IMSA victory in Detroit and the 32nd IMSA win of his career.
“Super happy to be in victory lane in Chevrolet land,” Garcia said. “I think all the big bosses will be very happy, as we are. It was a fantastic drive by Alex, who put the car on pole and opened a big gap early.”
The late-race chaos opened the door for the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Temerario GT3 driven by Andrea Caldarelli and Sandy Mitchell to earn the new car’s first podium finish in second place.
The No. 65 Ford Mustang GT3 driven by Christopher Mies and Frederic Vervisch rounded out the GTD PRO podium in third.
Championship Battle Tightens Heading to Watkins Glen
Both class winners started from the Motul Pole Award position and successfully converted pole into victory despite two late caution periods that reshuffled the field and intensified competition during the closing laps.
The victory unofficially moves Aitken into the lead of the GTP championship standings, while the No. 4 Corvette pairing of Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner maintains the GTD PRO points lead, though by a reduced margin.
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship returns June 28 for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International, one of the premier endurance races on the North American sports car calendar.
Tech
NASA Rolls Out Massive SLS Rocket Stage for Artemis III Mission to Kennedy Space Center
Published
2 months agoon
April 13, 2026By
Willie David
NEW ORLEANS (FNN) — NASA will roll out the largest section of its Space Launch System rocket on Monday, April 20, marking a major milestone for the Artemis III mission.
The section, representing the top four-fifths of the SLS core stage, is being moved from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. It includes the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank and forward skirt. The structure will be loaded onto NASA’s Pegasus barge for transport to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
CORE STAGE DELIVERY AND INTEGRATION
Once the core stage arrives at Kennedy Space Center, teams will complete final outfitting and vertical integration. The hardware will then be transferred to NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program for stacking and launch preparation.
The Artemis III engine section and boat-tail, which protects the engines during launch, were previously moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building in July 2025. The four RS-25 engines are scheduled to arrive from Stennis Space Center in Mississippi no later than July 2026 for integration.
POWERING THE ARTEMIS III MISSION
Equipped with four RS-25 engines, the SLS core stage will generate more than 2 million pounds of thrust, enabling the launch of astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft.
Artemis III is currently targeted for launch in 2027, following the successful Artemis II mission, which completed a crewed flight around the Moon on April 10.
NASA’S MOON-TO-MARS STRATEGY
The Artemis III mission is part of NASA’s broader Artemis program, aimed at returning astronauts to the Moon and establishing a sustained human presence.
The mission will test critical capabilities, including rendezvous and docking between the Orion spacecraft and commercial systems needed for future lunar landings, currently planned for 2028.
NASA is working in partnership with Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, and L3Harris Technologies, the lead contractor for the RS-25 engines. The core stage remains the backbone of the SLS rocket and is manufactured at the Michoud Assembly Facilit
Tech
NASA’s Artemis II Astronauts Begin Historic Journey Around the Moon After Key Orion Engine Burn
Published
2 months agoon
April 3, 2026By
Willie David
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (FNN) — For the first time in more than 50 years, astronauts on a NASA mission are headed around the Moon after successfully completing a critical burn of the Orion spacecraft’s main engine.
The approximately six-minute firing of Orion’s service module engine Thursday — known as the translunar injection burn — accelerated the spacecraft and its crew beyond Earth’s orbit, placing them on a trajectory toward the Moon.
Aboard the spacecraft are NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
“Today, for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, humans have departed Earth orbit,” said Dr. Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. “Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy now are on a precise trajectory toward the Moon. Orion is operating with crew for the first time in space, and we are gathering critical data and learning from each step.”
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 p.m. EDT on April 1, beginning a planned 10-day test mission around the Moon and back.
Successful Launch and Spacecraft Activation
Shortly after reaching space, Orion deployed its four solar array wings, allowing the spacecraft to generate power from the Sun. The crew and mission controllers then began transitioning the spacecraft from launch to normal flight operations while checking critical onboard systems.
About 49 minutes into the flight, the rocket’s upper stage fired to place Orion into an elliptical orbit around Earth. A second burn propelled the spacecraft — named “Integrity” by the crew — into a high Earth orbit extending roughly 46,000 miles above the planet for nearly 24 hours of system testing.
Following the maneuver, Orion separated from the upper stage and began flying independently.
System Tests and Crew Operations in Space
During the early phase of the mission, the astronauts conducted a manual piloting demonstration to evaluate Orion’s handling capabilities using the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage as a docking target.
After the test, Orion executed an automated departure burn to safely move away from the stage. The propulsion stage later performed a disposal burn before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere over a remote area of the Pacific Ocean.
Before its re-entry, four small CubeSats were deployed from the rocket’s Orion stage adapter to conduct separate scientific missions.
Mission teams also transitioned communications to NASA’s Deep Space Network while the crew adjusted to the space environment. Astronauts completed their first rest periods, performed onboard exercise routines, restored the spacecraft’s toilet to normal operations and prepared the spacecraft for the translunar injection burn.
Lunar Flyby and Artemis Program Goals
The crew is scheduled to conduct a lunar flyby Monday, April 6, when astronauts will capture high-resolution images and make observations of the Moon’s surface — including portions of the lunar far side rarely seen directly by humans.
Although the far side will only be partially illuminated during the flyby, the lighting conditions are expected to cast long shadows across the terrain, highlighting ridges, slopes and crater rims that are difficult to observe under full sunlight.
After completing the flyby, the astronauts will return to Earth and splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
The mission marks a major milestone for NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to send astronauts on increasingly ambitious missions to explore the Moon, advance scientific discovery, stimulate economic growth and prepare for the first crewed missions to Mars.
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