Critics of a so-called "trans refuge" bill in the Minnesota Legislature say the proposed law will strip parents of their rights regarding the medical treatment of their children.
Proponents of House File 146, which advanced in the Minnesota House last week, say the legislation will give protections for transgender people, their families, and healthcare providers when people travel to Minnesota for sex-change procedures or to obtain hormone prescriptions, Fox News reported.
However, Renee Carlson, general counsel of True North Legal, a legal initiative of Minnesota Family Council, warned that passing the bill as written will "create confusion and increased litigation for the courts, while stripping parents of their fundamental rights, disregarding informed consent, and encouraging young children on a dangerous path to serious lifelong biological and medical consequences."
The bill, which passed the house by a party-line vote of 68-62, was introduced by Rep. Leigh Finke, a member of the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party. Finke is Minnesota's first transgender lawmaker.
Finke told reporters that "gender-affirming care is lifesaving healthcare," adding that "rates of depression, suicide, substance abuse are dramatically higher in transgender and gender-expansive individuals who lack access to care."
State Rep. Peggy Scott, R-Andover, said the legislation "undermines parental rights and most concerningly has zero guardrails to protect our kids. It allows children, regardless of age, to receive radical medical treatments," CBS News reported.
The legislation is structured much like a proposal passing the Minnesota House that is to serve as a "shield law" for people who are seeking or providing abortions after the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade.
The bill must be approved by Minnesota's Senate before moving on to Gov. Tim Walz, a member of the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party, who said he intends to sign it.
The legislation will prohibit the enforcement of subpoenas, extradition requests, and warrants filed against people from other states who travel to Minnesota for gender-affirming procedures.
Further, the legislation bars Minnesota law enforcement officials from complying with court orders from other states demanding that children be removed from their parents' custody for being allowed to receive gender-affirming care.
The proposed law comes while states nationwide are prohibiting such care for minors, including Iowa and South Dakota.
Republicans, before the floor debate, condemned the Democrats' move to create a "transgender healthcare sanctuary state" in Minnesota, saying the law is unconstitutional and causes risks for children.
Many medical professionals, including with the American Academy of Pediatrics, support youth access to gender care.
Dr. Angela Kade Goepferd, medical director of Children's Minnesota's Gender Health Program, said gender-affirming care involving surgical procedures for minors under the age of 18 is "incredibly rare," and that doctors with the program do not perform the surgeries.
Instead, she said that most of the care provided is "medication-based or supportive services for families."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.