New Mexico ranks last in child well‑being and education while becoming a national hub for gender‑affirming care.
Legislative Moves
HB 7, enacted in 2023, bars any state regulation of gender‑affirming care, treating it as a contested medical standard.
The law pairs this issue with abortion, a combination championed by Planned Parenthood, the state’s largest provider.
Clinic visits rose 50% in the first half of 2026, half of them from out‑of‑state patients, mainly Texans fleeing SB 14.
SB 13 grants immunity to anyone involved in transitioning children and shields the practice from out‑of‑state scrutiny.
Educational Failures
A 2018 court ruling in Yazzie v. State of New Mexico found the system failing Native American, low‑income, disabled and English‑language learners.
Seven years later the state remains out of compliance despite repeated attempts to correct the deficiencies.
Contrast in Priorities
Per‑pupil spending lags behind Colorado while the state continues to rank 50th in education outcomes.
Tax dollars flow to gender‑medicine programs even as schools remain under‑funded.
Personal Account
Independent Women ambassador Soren Aldaco recounts being pushed out of gender‑affirming treatment and later sued the providers.
The Texas Supreme Court ruled this year that her case may proceed on its merits, highlighting the unique harms involved.
Advocates urge more families to speak out and more reporters to follow the Planned Parenthood pipeline that draws children from across state lines.
New Mexico cannot teach basic literacy while simultaneously offering rapid, irreversible hormone therapy.
A child who cannot read is unlikely to question the medical interventions imposed on them.
