FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CPC Supports Do No Harm Act
Date: March 03, 2023
Contact: Richard Nelson – richard@commonwealthpolicy.org
(Frankfort, KY) – “CPC applauds the Kentucky House of Representatives for protecting minors suffering from gender dysphoria from untested hormone therapy and surgical procedures that could lead to sterility and life-long medical problems,” said CPC Executive Director Richard Nelson. “Despite opponents positioning the bill as anti-transgender, in reality it was pro-child protection for children who cannot rightly make such life-altering decisions.”
“I saw a lot of brokenness and sadness in the committee room earlier today from both sides represented on this issue,” Nelson said. “Most compelling was a young woman who had a double mastectomy at 16 and given strong doses of testosterone so her external appearances would appear male. She testified that she ‘felt completely abandoned by what the medical professionals did to me… I will have to live with this the rest of my life.”
Some legislators argued that gender transitions of minors should be left up to parents and children. Yet state law regularly protects children from harm in many ways. “We legislate that when toddlers and young children get into a car they need to be in seatbelts and booster seats. Kids cannot get a tattoo until 16. They can’t vote until they’re 18. And they can’t drink beer until they’re 21. These laws are in place to protect the health and well-being of children,” Nelson said. “After all, their brains aren’t fully developed. Nor are their bodies. These are objective truths all should be able to agree on. If this is the case, can we not objectively agree that it’s right and proper for lawmakers to protect children from potential harms they may regret later in their adulthood?”
The bill passed by a wide margin of 75-22.