Children are a protected class of people, which is why it’s shocking that so many new and absurd policies are putting them at risk, specifically policies that support non-proven medical procedures under the guise of “gender affirming care.” I’ve spoken up on this issue a lot, but I really believe it’s getting to a boiling point and folks are sick and tired of our kids being put at risk for the sake of pushing a political agenda.
All of these “gender affirming care” procedures are incredibly controversial with little-to-no science behind them. Democrats have labeled them with a fluffy feel-good name, but that does nothing to mask the potential long-term negative effects these procedures can have on our kids. The American College of Pediatricians recently published findings on how harmful these procedures can be, and they note that there has not been “a single long-term study to demonstrate the safety or efficacy” of blockers, hormones, and surgeries on kids. They even note that the procedures come with a whole host of negative side effects: mental illnesses, physical harm, seizures, osteoporosis, and more.
I’d also like to make folks aware that a number of countries have moved away from accepting these medical procedures, and have started limiting children’s access to them. And we’re not just talking about “conservative” countries, here – countries that many would consider pretty progressive, like Sweden and Norway and Finland, have dialed back their support for this care, because doctors have been speaking up about the long-term risks of these medications and procedures.
Now let’s bring it back over to what’s going on in America and here in Minnesota. 29 states offer some type of “gender-affirming care” for minors, while the other 22 have age limits in place. A group known as Do No Harm has recently published a list of the states and hospitals that provide things like puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries for minors who are feeling gender dysphoria. This same group also highlighted a list known as “The Dirty Dozen,” which are 12 hospitals throughout the country that are the “worst offending children’s hospitals promoting sex change treatments for minors.” Shockingly, Children’s Minnesota ranks 3rd on their list. That is truly a scary thought.
This hospital has been empowered to continue these procedures through policies passed by the Democrat trifecta over the last 2 years. In 2023, Democrats passed a bill to make Minnesota a transgender refuge. HF-146 allows adults to bring children here if they feel the child’s parents are not supporting a gender transition for the child. So if two non-Minnesotan parents disagree about the medical treatment of their child, Minnesota allows the non-custodial parent the ability to come to Minnesota to seek treatment for their child, and Minnesota will temporarily change that custody order. This is so dangerous for children, it is unfathomable Democrats supported it. That means our state’s government is inserting itself into the private family matters of families from other states. The government here believes they can raise a child better than parents can. That is alarming.
I want to remind folks that Governor Walz put his stamp of approval on this – he signed this into law. Why do Minnesota legislators think they know better than doctors and pediatricians? Again, children are a protected class. We don’t let them vote, they can’t drive, they can’t gamble, and they even need parental consent for piercings. Yet somehow Democrats believe children should have the ability to make life-altering decisions before they have developed physically, mentally, and emotionally, and are willing to expedite that process. This is wrong, folks. And it ignores the fact that some children just experience changes in their bodies that they aren’t yet comfortable with – that doesn’t mean they should become science experiments for procedures with little-to-no studies on potential long-term damaging effects. I’m very glad groups like Do No Harm are speaking up on this issue, and they are doing the important work of defending our kids.
We should be cautious when it comes to procedures that could fundamentally alter our kids’ bodies in ways we can’t yet even comprehend. When doctors are speaking up on behalf of our kids, we should listen. Instead, Democrats continue to push these damaging policies that have the potential to cause irrevocable harm to children.