Many disappointing topics have been brought up in the Legislature this year: gun control bills, a paid family leave mandate, an overreaching abortion expansion, and so much more. Recently another bill has followed the trend—HF-146 which makes Minnesota a “trans refuge” for those seeking transgender procedures on children, which can lead to mutilation procedures. I am incredibly disappointed that this bill passed through the House, and I was disheartened to see the Governor signing an executive order that seeks to accomplish the same thing. These bills show a troubling trend that we absolutely have to reject.

Democrats are pushing bills that totally undermine the family values so many folks throughout our state have. The Governor’s executive order allows kids to be brought to Minnesota for gender affirming care, and essentially ensures that law enforcement cannot remove a child from the custody of an adult in accordance with an order that comes from outside Minnesota. Our Lieutenant Governor also spoke on the issue and insinuated that to be a “good parent,” you have to be on board with these awful procedures. When making those comments, she wore a shirt that said, “Protect Trans Kids,” with a knife depicted in the design. We have laws on the books that are meant to protect kids, but these actions undermine that objective.

This bill makes it seem as though legislators think they can raise kids better than parents. As adults, we don’t let kids make big decisions—kids can’t vote, they can’t drive, they can’t gamble, but this change allows the adults in their lives to seek out life-altering medical procedures for them. Numerous studies have already shown how damaging these procedures can be when done on children, especially when done prematurely. Where do we draw the line?

Minnesota legislators want folks to think that “they know best” and they are more qualified to make these decisions for your kids, and we have to reject this mentality. These policies make the governor’s comments about doing anything for the kids laughable. As these bills continue to circulate, I remain committed to informing the public of what is going on. This is just one of the many bad bills we’ve seen this year, and I’m worried there are still many more to come. I encourage you to reach out to legislators to discuss how you feel on these issues. As always, you can reach out to my office at any time at Sen.Steve.Green@senate.mn.