Idaho Bill Criminalizes “Gender Affirming” Treatments for Children
If passed, the bill would make such treatments a felony offense
The Idaho state House passed a bill this week that make administering so-called “gender-affirming” treatments for children a felony.
The bill overwhelmingly passed the Republican-majority House, with just one GOP member voting against.
The “Vulnerable Child Protection Act” was introduced by Rep. Bruce Skaug of Nampa and prohibits all medical intervention on children relating to “gender-affirming” treatment, including surgery, hormones, and puberty blockers.
“If we as a people believe laws should prevent children from smoking, drinking alcohol, getting tattoos, signing legal contracts, how can we possibly think its ok for that child to have these procedures on their bodies before they’re old enough to make those kinds of decisions,” Skaug said when he introduced the bill. “Responsible psychology does not prescribe liposuction for bulimia.”
Interestingly, although the Associated Press noted that House members affirmed that these treatments are not being issued to children in the state of Idaho currently, it still highlighted the views of those who claimed the bill would abjectly impact transgender-identifying children.
The AP also pointed to the stance of major medical associations, including the American Medical Association, which recommend “gender-affirming” care for children.
It is worthy of note that the AMA signed off on an open letter to the Department of Justice last year demanding the agency investigate “journalists” who spread “misinformation” about these treatments, such as the Twitter account Libs of TikTok which had at the time recently shared a video produced Boston Children’s Hospital about its surgeries for minors.
The AP also noted that the legislation was promoted by groups that have also “advocated for anti-abortion legislation,” an subtle attempt to disenfranchise the rights of conservatives to advocate for legislation that aligns with their values, it would appear.
“These children need real help, not medically unnecessary procedures that result in lifelong harms,” said Blaine Conzatti, president of the Idaho Family Policy Center, which lobbied for the legislation.
The bill will now pass to the state Senate, where a similar bill was rejected by Republicans who feared it might impact non-transgender children and could unnecessarily infringe upon parental rights.
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