Last month, Townhall reported how Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, signed three bills into law aimed at protecting abortion access and irreversible transgender health care.
According to the Associated Press, the main goal of the legislation was to create a "safe haven" for people who live in other states to come to Colorado to obtain abortions or undergo "gender-affirming" health care, which includes puberty blockers, hormone therapy treatments, and sex reassignment surgery.
On Twitter, Polis claimed that the legislation "[furthers] Colorado's reputation as a beacon of freedom and choice."
Several states, including Utah and Oklahoma, have restrictions on abortion and transgender care. Now, another blue state is looking to create laws that ensure that underage children who want to undergo irreversible gender mutilation treatments and procedures will be "protected" from their unsupportive parents.
A government agency in Massachusetts is asking lawmakers to review the state's child abuse laws and ensure that they apply to parents who will not allow their "transgender" children to transition.
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According to Catholic News Agency, the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth is using the "rise in transphobia" as the reason to change the state laws.
"With the significant rise in public transphobia across the state, the commission has serious concerns about the well-being of trans and gender expansive youth in the home, and advises that the state examine current laws around child abuse and welfare to ensure that the unique situations faced by LGBTQ youth are being addressed," the commission reportedly wrote in its report and recommendations for the 2024 fiscal year. "In particular, the commission recommends that the state examine the possibility of codifying gender-affirming child welfare protections in state law to better support youth and families."
Kate Anderson, director of the Center for Parental Rights for Alliance Defending Freedom, told CNA that "parents have a right and responsibility to direct the upbringing, care, and education of their children — a right that includes being informed of their children's struggles with sensitive topics like sex and gender and to help their children according to their own convictions."
"This trend happening across the country, especially within schools, should draw alarm to all parents because parents, not government officials, should be the ones walking with their kids through these challenges. Parents know their children better than any school official ever could, and they want what is best for their children," she said.
Last week, Townhall reported that Cincinnati Public Schools in Ohio instructed its staffers to be supportive of transgender students' gender identities and to keep it a secret from parents or, in some cases, report the parents. The guidance stated that "parents may or may not be supportive of the student's gender identity" and that information relating to a student's gender identity "should not be shared with parents if disclosing the information to parents could put the student at risk of harm at home." And the guidance advised school staffers to "also consider whether there is a mandatory duty to report child abuse to 241-KIDS."
