Prohibit Certain Surgeries on Minors (Initiative #110)
On the ballot
Colorado · November 2026 general election · Citizen initiative · Election day November 3, 2026
Topics: Civil rights, Health care
In plain language
This initiated statute would bar any health-care professional or other person in Colorado from knowingly performing, prescribing, administering, or providing surgery to a person under 18 for the purpose of altering the minor's biological sex characteristics. Legislative Council Staff describes an exception for minors with a medically verifiable disorder of sex development. The measure would also prohibit state or federal funds, Medicaid reimbursement, or insurance coverage from being used to pay for surgeries of this type. It would not change the law for adults.
Fiscal impact
Legislative Council Staff's initial fiscal impact statement (September 9, 2025) projects no change in state revenue, state expenditures, TABOR refunds, or state FTE in FY 2026-27 or FY 2027-28, identifying only minimal state expenditures and minimal state revenue. The statement notes that revenue could rise slightly if additional complaints against regulated medical professionals lead to administrative actions or fines. Legislative Council Staff notes it may revise this estimate for the ballot information booklet (Blue Book).
Summarized from the official fiscal analysis listed in the sources below. Figures are the state's, not this site's.
What supporters and opponents say
These are summaries of arguments made by the named organizations, drawn from the sources listed below. They are their claims, not this site's, and this site takes no position on the measure.
What supporters say
- Focus on the Family says children "should be safeguarded from making irreversible decisions about their reproductive future."
- Protect Kids Colorado, the campaign that qualified the measure, says the surgeries are irreversible and that Colorado already sets age limits on voting, drinking, and signing contracts.
- The Colorado Catholic Conference argues that permanent medical interventions on minors conflict with what it describes as the natural order of the human person.
What opponents say
- Rocky Mountain Equality says the initiative "would limit access to gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth, even after extensive evaluation and with parental support."
- Nadine Bridges, executive director of One Colorado, says the proposals "push the government into personal health care decisions that should stay with families and medical providers."
- Families Not Politics is leading the opposition campaign against this initiative and Initiative #109.
Reproduced verbatim from the state's certified ballot text.
Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes modifying existing law by prohibiting surgery on a minor for the purpose of altering the minor's biological sex characteristics, and, in connection therewith, prohibiting any health-care professional or other person from knowingly performing, prescribing, administering, or providing any surgery to a minor for the purpose of altering the minor's biological sex characteristics and prohibiting the use of state or federal funds, Medicaid reimbursement, or insurance coverage to pay for this type of surgery?
Sources
Everything on this page traces to these sources. Follow them to read the original documents.
- Colorado Secretary of State — Proposed Initiative #110 Qualifies for General Election Ballot (March 17, 2026)
- Colorado Secretary of State — Ballot Title Setting Board results for Proposed Initiative #110
- Colorado Legislative Council Staff — Initiative 110 Fiscal Impact Statement
- Ballotpedia — Colorado Prohibit Surgeries for Treatment in Response to Minors' Perception of Sex or Gender Measure (2026)
Last updated . How this page is sourced and corrected is described in the correction policy.