Parents of transgender children in Alabama filed a brief this week urging the state court of appeals to uphold an injunction on a law that criminalizes “gender-affirming” health care for minors. “Gender-affirming” care includes puberty blockers, hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgery.
In May, a federal judge blocked part of the law, S.B. 184, dubbed the Alabama Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act. When Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed the bill into law, Townhall reported how there are members of the medical community who were “aggressively” pushing for this type of health care to be available to minors.
Senate Bill 184, “[prohibits] the performance of a medical procedure or the prescription of medication, upon or to a minor child, that is intended to alter the minor child’s gender or delay puberty.”
In the brief, the parents of the transgender children said that the injunction on S.B. 184 should be upheld because U.S. courts have recognized “medical decision-making” as a parental right for 100 years.
“The fundamental right to parent is 'perhaps the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests' recognized by the Supreme Court,” the parents argued, adding that “its application to medical decision-making is well established.”
“Because the right of parents to care for their children is fundamental, any substantial infringement on that right is subject to strict scrutiny,” they added. They also argued that “transitioning medications” for children are not “experimental.”
The mother of a 15-year-old “transgender” girl in Alabama released a statement on Thursday through her attorneys at The Human Rights Campaign.
“While many people may not understand what it means to have a transgender child, I know any parent can relate to worrying about whether your child is healthy and safe,” the mother, Megan Poe, said. “Stopping S.B. 184 from taking effect has let my family breathe a little easier as my daughter has continued to get the support and care she needs.”
Dr. Rachel Koe, a pediatrician in Alabama, said the court’s blocking of S.B. 184 brought “overwhelming relief” to parents who “want to do what’s best for their kids.”
In a statement in April, after Ivey signed S.B. 184 into law, Koe claimed that “gender-affirming” health care for minors is “established medical treatment that is recognized as the standard of care in the medical field,” adding that the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association support it.
I reported last month how a 17-year-old girl, Chloe Cole, shared her story at a public hearing last month about how she became transgender at age 12. Cole began medically transitioning at age 13 and underwent a double mastectomy at 15. At 17, Cole began to de-transition.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo posted a video of Cole sharing her story on Twitter.
Florida doesn’t support the medicalization of minors with GD because the benefits are unproven, and the risks are extraordinarily high.
— Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, PhD (@FLSurgeonGen) July 10, 2022
Chloe was treated with puberty blockers and testosterone at the age of 13. @ChoooCole was courageous enough to share her story with us. pic.twitter.com/vL8SF5BH0o
“I really didn’t understand all of the ramifications of any of the medical decisions that I was making,” Cole said during the hearing. “I was unknowingly physically cutting off my true self from my body, irreversibly and painfully.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to fully carry a child and I might be at increased risk for certain cancers, namely, cervical cancer,” Cole said. “I’m not able to breastfeed whatever future children I have.”
“That realization actually was one of the biggest things that led to me realizing that this was not the path I should have taken,” she added.
Cole told Fox News Digital that parents should not transition their children.
"If you are considering transitioning, please wait until you are a fully developed adult," Cole told Fox News Digital. "Transitioning can damage your body and mind in ways that we may not fully understand."
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