The Louisiana Senate Health and Welfare Committee has taken a stand against the irresponsible and dangerous bill that would ban sex changes for minors in the state. By a close vote of five to four, with the added support of a Republican senator, the committee tore down this blatantly outrageous bill. The sponsor of the bill, Republican state Rep. Gabe Firment, seemed conflicted over the fact that his bill was being denied time and again.
A Republican helped stop this bill https://t.co/PrlOjITFBa
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 25, 2023
The bill was a reasonable measure to prevent minors from taking drastic measures like sex changes without proper oversight or the counsel of an experienced physician. The stated goal of the bill was to ensure that minors made informed decisions under the guidance of their personal physician and family members.
BREAKING: A bill that would have banned gender-affirming care for minors in Louisiana has died, following a 5-4 vote in a Senate committee meeting.
Chairman Fred Mills, a Republican, was the tie-breaking vote to defer HB648. He joined Democrats in opposition to the bill. #lalege
— Sara Cline (@SaraLCline) May 24, 2023
JUST IN: LGBTQ people in the South just got a rare victory when a Louisiana Senate committee killed a bill that would have banned gender-affirming health care for transgender minors. https://t.co/iwWBI4MMMD
— The Hill (@thehill) May 24, 2023
The Republican senator, Fred Mills, who voted against the bill, made an astute observation that the decision to undergo such treatment should be left up to the patient and their doctor. After all, doctors take an oath to do no harm. It is far better for those struggling with issues of gender to know they have a trusted doctor on their side.
But the LGBTQ activists were quick to laud the defeat of this bill as a “dangerous attack on age-appropriate, best-practice health care for transgender youth.” The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT advocacy organization, praised the committee for killing the legislation. But the reality is that the bill would have prevented minors from accessing potentially dangerous treatments that may have long-term consequences.
As more and more detransitioners are coming forward with their tales of woe and regret over sex-change procedures they had taken as children, it is clear that legislation like the one proposed by Firment is indeed necessary. These individuals were coerced into irreversible and damaging procedures like puberty blockers and hormone treatments while still impressionable minors. This is a sad reality that must be addressed. It is critical that decisions be made with the utmost care and deliberation.