On Tuesday, the Idaho House of Representatives passed a bill that would implement a statewide ban on so-called “transgender” surgeries for minors, as well as medications that are meant to indulge delusions of gender dysphoria.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, the “Vulnerable Child Protective Act” was introduced by State Rep. Bruce Skaug (R-Idaho), and will now head to the Republican-controlled State Senate. The bill expands upon an already-existing state ban on “female genital mutilation,” and makes it a felony to give puberty blockers or other forms of hormone treatment to children; the bill also makes it a felony to perform genital mutilation surgery that “alters the appearance of or affirms the child’s perception of the child’s sex.”
“We do not allow minors to get tattoos, smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, sign legal documents, why would we allow them to make the decision to cut away healthy bodily organs, and open the road to chemical castration at age 12?” said Skaug during a committee hearing on the legislation.
Some Democrats in Idaho have tried to claim that such a bill would encroach on parental authority to determine what is best for their children. In response, State Rep. Julianne Young (R-Idaho) reaffirmed that the bill is about protecting children first and foremost.
“It’s not that we’re being selective,” said Young. “What it comes down to for me, is determining what are the appropriate bounds and limits of that parental authority.”
The bill is the latest to be introduced in a Republican-controlled state that would crack down on transgenderism, the scientifically-debunked belief that there are more than two genders, and that any person can simply choose or change their gender at any given time. Multiple other states have passed bills that address this rising mental illness, including banning biological men from competing in women’s sports by identifying as “trans women,” or similarly banning medical procedures and the prescription of such medications that reinforce the patient’s delusions.