The Missouri Students Association passed Bill 63-04 to publicly oppose MU Health Care’s complete restriction of gender-affirming care for minors in recent meeting.
The Missouri Students Association held an open meeting in Leadership Auditorium on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. Members of MSA discussed their stance regarding University of Missouri Health Care’s blanket ban on gender-affirming care for minors among other matters.
Speaker of MSA Senate Danny Daugherty called upon Campus Affairs Chair Ben Baumgart to discuss MSA Bill 63-04, “A Resolution To Express Student Opposition To MU Health Care’s Restriction Of Gender-Affirming Care” in the all-senate meeting. The bill ultimately passed 31-0-1.
MSA Bill 63-04 references MU Health Care’s recent decision following the passing of Senate Bill 49, passed Aug. 28, that outlawed gender-affirming care for minors, with exceptions for youths who were receiving care before the law was instituted. On Aug. 28, MU Health Care announced its decision to halt all gender-affirming care, regardless if youth were already receiving care.
Bill 63-04 expresses that, “the Association’s formal opinion in this matter does not support the MU Health Care restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors,” as written by Baumgart.
“Let’s call this what it is, it’s cowardice,” said Baumgart. “It’s cowardice on the part of MU Health Care, this is cowardice on the part of our administrators here, this is cowardice on the part of the university as a whole. And I won’t stand by while the university goes beyond the scope of the law and restricts [gender-affirming care] beyond what the representatives of the state of Missouri have voted on.”
Although the bill has no set outline on how MSA plans to proceed forward with their disagreement, it mentions that members of the executive and legislative branch will continue to “voice these concerns with administrators and work to withdraw these restrictions to the best of their ability”
“The fact that not only our school is contributing to this atrocity, but to an already marginalized group of people is even worse,” At-Large Senate member PB Branson said. “We’re going the backwards direction as a state if we don’t end up [passing Bill 63-04].”
MSA Bill 63-03, regarding the allocation of contingency and reserve funds for the Brazilian Student Association [BRASA] at MU was also discussed during this meeting. Written by Internal Affairs Fiscal Chair Cody Jenkins, the bill presented the idea of raising funding for members of BRASA to be able to attend a BRASA summit in Washington, D.C. The bill passed with a vote of 27-0-0.
Additionally, new and returning At-Large Senate members of MSA were confirmed during the Sept. 12 meeting. MSA voted on and welcomed 23 At-Large Senate members, ranging from freshmen to seniors of varying degree plans, some also currently holding chair or board positions on MSA’s Legislative Branch.
The meeting concluded with Daugherty announcing upcoming opportunities for MSA members, including their increased involvement in MU’s homecoming with participation in service, the university blood drive and ‘Decorate the District’.
MSA’s next full-senate meeting will be held at the Leadership Auditorium on Sept. 26 at 6 p.m., open for the general public to attend. For more information about any upcoming MSA meetings, visit https://engage.missouri.edu/events.
