Editor's note: This piece has been updated to include a statement from Nikki Haley's campaign.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said in an interview that she believes that the law should “stay out of” irreversible, experimental so-called “gender-affirming” care for children and that parents “should handle it.”
A clip of her remarks in the interview with CBS Mornings began circulating on X, formerly known as Twitter, this week. In the clip, Tony Dokoupil asked Haley: “What care should be on the table when a 12-year-old child in this country assigned female at birth says, ‘Actually, I feel more comfortable living as a boy.’ And “what should the law allow the response to be?”
“I think the law should stay out of it and parents should handle it,” Haley responded.
Nikki Haley was just asked on CBS what should be done if a 12 year old decides they want a sex change and she said the law should stay out of it to let parents handle it. This is 1000% disqualifying. The law must intervene when a parent abuses their child. pic.twitter.com/Pn9qL7PnOA
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) December 5, 2023
According to The Christian Post, the clip was initially resurfaced by the DeSantis War Room in an ad called “Meet The Real Nikki Haley.”
The interview occurred in June and was posted on the CBS Mornings’ Facebook page.
In the full interview, Haley added: “This is a job for the parents to handle. And then, if that child becomes 18, if they want to make more of a permanent change, they can do that. But I think, up until then, we see with our teenage kids, they go through a lot during puberty. They go through a lot of confusion. They go through a lot of anxiety. They go through a lot of pressures. We should support them the whole way through, but we don’t need to go in and force something in schools. We don’t need schools sitting there hiding from the parents what gender pronoun they’re using. We don’t need to have those conversations in schools. Those are conversations that should be had at home.”
Many LGBTQ+ supporters have been pushing to allow harmful experimental, irreversible transgender care for children. Townhall has covered how Chloe Cole, a “detransitioner,” underwent a double mastectomy as a minor and lived to regret it. Earlier this year, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, a Republican, introduced legislation that would outlaw these kinds of experimental, irreversible treatments and surgeries for minors, which Townhall covered.
“Under no circumstances should doctors be allowed to perform these gruesome, irreversible operations on underage children. With this legislation, we have an opportunity to save countless young Americans from a lifetime of suffering and regret,” Vance told The Daily Caller, which first reported on the legislation.
Update:
On Wednesday, Haley's campaign sent Townhall the following statement from Nachama Soloveichik, Haley's communications director:
"With his poll numbers plummeting and his campaign imploding, Ron DeSantis is desperately throwing lies at the wall, hoping something will stick. Spoiler alert: It won't. Nikki Haley has long said she opposes gender-changing surgeries for minors. Bald-faced lies won't save DeSantis."