The amended bill lengthens some minors’ access to gender-affirming care by one year.

Editor’s note •This article discusses suicide. If you or people you know are at risk of self-harm, call or text 988 to reachthe Suicide & Crisis Lifelinefor 24-hour support. You can also reachThe Trevor Project, which specializes in helping LGBTQ+ youth, by calling 1-866-488-7386, or by texting “START” to 678-678.

Utah’s supermajority-Republican Legislature is expected to pass a permanent ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. But ahead of that, a Senate committee voted Wednesday to lengthen the amount of time minors already receiving such treatments can continue that care.

The state currently has a “moratorium” on gender-affirming care for teenagers and children, which prohibits surgically changing a transgender minor’s sex characteristics and bars prescribing puberty blockers or hormone replacement therapy to Utahns under 18 who were not diagnosed with gender dysphoria prior to the 2023 law.

This year’s HB174 from Rep. Rex Shipp, R-Cedar City, would impose more permanent restrictions on transgender youth access to hormone therapy, but minors already receiving that care can continue until 2028 under the committee’s amendment. The cutoff in the original bill was 2027.

“If parents and their children made a decision when the child was 13, I’m not comfortable cutting off that care for a few months or even a year until they turn 18, so that’s why I brought the amendment,” said Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross. “But I also support the ban because I do believe that these are decisions that are best made by an adult.”

The Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee voted 7-1 to adopt Weiler’s amendment, before ultimately voting along party lines to send it to the full Senate.

Shipp opposed the change, saying his bill already included a one-year runway “to allow the time for these kids that are on them to taper off.”

“I think we’re always going to run into the same issue that you’re trying to avoid, because there’s going to be others that will be on the treatments in 2028,” Shipp told the committee. “So I just don’t want to agree to continue to damage healthy bodies.”

It’s unclear whether this modification, or any others made while the Senate has the bill, will stick. The bill has to return to the House of Representatives for approval of any changes before its passage.

Weiler, who chairs the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee, was one of a few Senate Republicans to vote “nay” on the gender-affirming care moratorium in 2023.

When he began accepting public comments on Shipp’s bill Wednesday, Weiler said, “If you are someone who received gender affirming care as a minor, I want you to raise your hands. … I am personally most interested in hearing from those in the room who actually received the care as children.”

Five people raised their hands. All of them spoke against the bill, with multiple testifying that it saved their life.

Among them was a student from Centerville Junior High School, who said they came out as transgender in third grade, or 2019, began puberty blockers in 2022 and started hormone replacement therapy in 2024.

“Without access to his medication, I would not be here speaking to you today,” they said. “If you were truly wanting to protect us, you would worry about the worst effect of not getting the resources we need: suicide. … How would I know this? One of my closest friends committed suicide back in October of 2025. There were many reasons for her suicide. One of the major ones was her lack of health care and the hate she gets from the world.”

Shipp’s proposal is one of several pieces of legislation this session that would further restrict transgender rights in Utah, likely making 2026 the fifth consecutive year lawmakers adopt anti-transgender laws.

And HB174 follows a medical evidence review commissioned under the 2023 bill that concluded gender-affirming care for minors with gender dysphoria is largely found to result in positive outcomes and reduce the likelihood of suicide.

The University of Utah researchers who compiled that report, and officials from the state’s health agency who prepared policy recommendations based on it, have not been invited to speak at the Capitol about it. Instead, lawmakers have largely relied on the advice of conservative, anti-transgender activists in passing additional restrictions.

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Patti Wheeler was curious what her son Wyatt, a business student, was using when she found a “supplement” container on a family trip.

A short time later, he was dead.

”My son Wyatt passed away from Kratom,” said Wheeler, who flew into Salt Lake from Florida and arrived at the state Capitol on Thursday.

“There’s no doubt in your mind that Kratom was the cause of Wyatt’s death?” 2News asked.

“A hundred percent,” she replied, adding the coroner confirmed it, calling some forms of Kratom as addictive as heroin or morphine.

MORE | Kratom

Wheeler is the executive producer of a new documentary, “Kratom, Side Effects May Include,” and Drug Free Utah invited lawmakers — in the middle of the Kratom debate — for dinner and screening Thursday night at the Gateway theater.

Walter Plumb, Drug Free Utah leader, said his daughter would drink Kratom as a tea and that it spiked her blood pressure.

“She eventually had a stroke,” Plumb said, followed by months of rehab.

The American Kratom Association said the substance, derived from leaves of tropical trees in Southeast Asia, is safe if used properly.

Though legal in most states, the FDA has urged people not to consume it, citing adverse side effects, including seizures.

“I’m a success story,” said Lora Romney, a “nine-year” Kratom user, who testified before a legislative committee last month. “I have incredible health.”

Romney said Kratom dramatically improved a nerve condition.

“If this were to be banned,” she said, “I literally will not be able to get out of bed.”

Measures at the Capitol could severely restrict Kratom, which is widely available at stores all over the state, but banning it outright seems off the table with just a couple of weeks to go this legislative session.

_____

Utah voters entrust our representatives with real authority — with our voice. This includes the duty to speak when constitutional norms, the rule of law and basic human dignity are under strain.

On Jan. 24, a group of neighbors in Holladay found ourselves talking about troubling national news — another fatal encounter involving federal law enforcement in Minneapolis.

At first, we spoke cautiously, unsure whether we shared the same political views. But restraint soon gave way as people voiced what they were feeling.

“I’ve been crying all day.”

“I’m questioning what it means to be an American.”

“I no longer recognize the party I belong to.”

“This is wrong, and I feel powerless to stop it.”

That sense of powerlessness, it became clear, was because we do not see our values being reflected in congressional action. Utah voters entrust our representatives with real authority — with our voice. This includes the duty to speak when constitutional norms, the rule of law and basic human dignity are under strain. When that voice is absent, silence itself becomes a message.

Writing a letter to a member of Congress can feel like a small thing, but we had to begin somewhere. So one was written that we all could sign, directed to Utah’s delegation. At its core, the letter asked a simple question: Is loyalty to a political movement taking precedence over loyalty to constituents’ values?

The values we had in mind are not radical, but moderate. We believe them to be widely shared across Utah.

Respect for law and life

We believe Utahns want law and order, but we reject brutality, abuse of power and enforcement stripped of humanity. Justice works best when it is firm, lawful and tempered with mercy. Congressional oversight of the executive branch is not optional; it is a constitutional responsibility, especially when violations occur.

Consensus through compromise

Utahns have learned over time to navigate disagreement through listening, good-faith negotiation and respect for democratic outcomes. Strategies of domination and marginalization — whether aimed at individuals, cities, states or nations — undermine democratic legitimacy and weaken the country. We want representatives who are committed to bipartisan problem-solving, not partisan entrenchment.

Growth and well-being for all

Utahns are deeply concerned about unsustainable debt and widening economic inequality. Prosperity carries responsibility for the common good. Those entrusted with public resources must act with integrity, address poverty and corruption, and resist oppression wherever it appears — at home or abroad.

The letter noted the low profile that Utah’s congressional delegation has maintained despite a series of concerning executive actions over the past year.

“We feel you can and must do more,” it stated. “With narrow margins in Congress, if you act together as Utahns — prioritizing principles over partisanship — our state can have an outsized influence in defending constitutional norms, insisting on accountability and restoring trust in government.”

We closed by asking our leaders to put Utah values first, to speak clearly when the rule of law is threatened and to use the power we entrusted to them with courage and independence.

Before delivering it, we thought to invite others to sign with us — friends, family members, others who might share our concerns but lacked a constructive way to act. We hoped for a few dozen signatories from across the state.

We began circulating it on the morning of Jan. 27. The response exceeded our expectations. By noon, dozens had signed. By evening, hundreds. The next day, Utahns were signing it by the hundred per hour.

Messages expressing relief and resolve also poured in.

“Thank you for putting my feelings into words.”

“I haven’t been this relieved to sign something in a long time.”

“I hope this letter becomes impossible to ignore.”

After two days, we delivered it to the offices of each senator and member of Congress with more than 1,700 signatures from across the state. And they were still coming — within three more days the total was more than 2,400.

This effort was not a scientific poll. But it confirmed something important: Politically moderate Utahns may not dominate headlines, but we are engaged, and there is pent-up desire for our voice to be acknowledged.

We are ready to support leaders — of any party — who will speak up for our values, act in defense of constitutional norms and the rule of law, and lead with integrity, dignity and courage.

Cynthia Collier, Dave Young and Ken Lisonbee are Holladay neighbors, Salt Lake valley natives and concerned citizens.

The Salt Lake Tribune is committed to creating a space where Utahns can share ideas, perspectives and solutions that move our state forward. We rely on your insight to do this. Find out how to share your opinion here, and email us at voices@sltrib.com.