Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, during a Tuesday appearance on Newsmax TV’s “John Bachman Now,” defended his decision to veto House Bill 1570, which would ban gender reassignment surgeries and hormone supplements for anyone under 18 in the state, saying the state should not intervene in every decision.
“You can argue that parents make bad decisions, so we’re going to start passing laws on how we can discipline our children, how we should treat them?” Hutchinson told host John Bachman, who interrupted with, “this is a permanent decision, though, governor, this is nothing you can undo.”
“This is not surgery,” Hutchinson responded.
“So, surgery I would find that we do not even do that in Arkansas. That cannot happen until you’re much later in life. So, these troubled youth that are challenged, that are going to a doctor, that are getting counseling, and yes, in some instances they have hormone treatments with the permission of the parents.
“So, if the kids in that circumstance with the parents’ approval get that, now they would be forced to go to the black market, they would get that somewhere else out of state if they could afford that,” he added.
“This is about restraining government, come back to the conservative principles that the government does not have to be involved in every decision. I’ve signed two bills. Girls in sports, that protects the girls from transgender athletes, the medical conscience bill that says a doctor, healthcare professional does not need to provide treatment if it violates his conscience. So, it’s about balance and restraint when its absolutely not a necessity.”
The American Medical Association, American Psychological Association and American Academy of Pediatrics publicly opposed the bill. The American Civil Liberties Union called the restrictions on gender reassignment unprecedented in the United States.
The Arkansas House on Tuesday voted to override Hutchinson’s veto. The senate voted to override HB1570. The bill would prohibit doctors from providing gender-confirming hormone treatment or surgery to minors, including prescribing medications. Fewer than 200 kids in Arkansas are on therapies right now.
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Source: Newmax
