🚨 UPDATE: HB1875 HD1 (Shield Law Bill to protect Gender Affirming & Reproductive Care) Scheduled for Final House Committee Hearing
Aloha friends,
I’m writing with an important update and a request for your help.
HB1875 HD1, Hawai‘i’s Gender Affirming & Reproductive Care Shield Law, has been scheduled for its final House committee hearing before a full House floor vote.
📍 Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs (JHA) Committee
📅 Tuesday, 2/24
⏰ 2:00 PM (HST)
This is a pivotal moment.
This bill does what so many of us have been asking for: it protects patients, families, and medical providers who provide or receive legally prescribed gender-affirming and reproductive healthcare in Hawai‘i. It helps ensure that out-of-state political attacks cannot reach into our state and threaten providers who are following established medical standards.
💬 ACTION NEEDED: Submit Testimony
The deadline to submit on-time written testimony is Monday 2/23 at 2:00 PM (HST) — but late testimony will still be accepted.
You do not have to be a Hawai‘i resident to submit testimony.
If you have privacy concerns, you may use a pseudonym.
Even 1–3 heartfelt sentences makes a difference.
If you’d like help drafting your testimony, here is a simple guide:
You can simply say:
Why access to healthcare matters to you
Why medical decisions should remain between patients and doctors
Why Hawai‘i should protect providers who follow evidence-based standards
Personal stories matter. Your voice matters.
📞 Please Also Call JHA Committee Leadership
Respectful calls of support truly make an impact.
Chair David Tarnas
808-586-8510
reptarnas@capitol.hawaii.gov
Vice Chair Mahina Poepoe
808-586-6790
reppoepoe@capitol.hawaii.gov
You can simply say:
“Aloha, my name is ___. I’m calling to respectfully ask that HB1875 HD1 be supported and advanced. This bill is critical to protecting access to reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare in Hawai‘i. Mahalo for your leadership.”
Why This Matters
State laws have historically set higher standards for civil rights protections than federal law. At a time when protections are shifting across the country, Hawai‘i has the opportunity to reaffirm that healthcare decisions belong between patients and licensed medical providers - not politicians!
This bill is about:
- Protecting families
- Protecting doctors who follow established standards of care
- Protecting bodily autonomy
- Protecting Hawai‘i’s ability to govern itself
- It is not about politics. It is about people.
We are close.
I have witnessed firsthand the strength, compassion, and courage of this community. We are showing up - respectfully, thoughtfully, and with love - to protect access to medically necessary care.
Please take five minutes today to submit testimony and, if you can, make one phone call.
TIP: If you call during the weekend (or after hours) you can just leave a voicemail, this is just as powerful.
Together, we can help ensure Hawai‘i remains a place where people can access healthcare safely and with dignity.
With gratitude,
Abby Simmons (she/her)