| Passing the Help Not Harm Act to protect minors from chemical and surgical attempts to change their gender was a major legislative victory this year. Unfortunately, the fight to protect our children from these experimental and harmful practices continues. This week, the Douglas County Courthouse became the site of the next battle. The ACLU has sued our law, claiming it violates the Kansas Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Skrmetti should have resolved this case. But transgender ideologues are refusing to give up. Attorney General Kris Kobach defended the law in a hearing on whether it should be enjoined. Not Treatment but Harm The lawsuit was brought on behalf of two parents whose children were receiving puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones from Children’s Mercy’s Gender Pathways Clinic. The clinic’s medical director and founder served as the ACLU’s key witness, repeatedly stating that she allowed children to decide the outcomes they wanted—essentially creating designer bodies. As the State’s doctors pointed out, this is not the purpose of true medicine. Medicine is meant to heal. While risk and side effects are always present, ethical medicine requires that the good outweigh the harm. Chloe’s Bold Stand The state’s witnesses offered powerful testimony exposing why the ideology of transgenderism is not only harmful but also unscientific. Detransitioner Chloe Cole shared her story of being placed on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and undergoing a double mastectomy—all before turning 16. She testified that no child can fully grasp the lifelong consequences of these procedures or truly consent to them. While expressing compassion for children struggling with identity, she lamented that she did not receive the real help she needed to accept the way God made her, but was instead medicalized. We are so grateful for Chloe’s testimony before the Legislature and now before the Court. She has shown bravery and clarity that should inspire us to act! Not Grounded in Science, but Ideology Despite the ACLU’s claims, the evidence is clear: these procedures do not help children—they harm them. Doctors, psychiatrists, and ethicists explained that the research relied upon by transgender activists is deeply flawed and not scientifically sound. Several witnesses admitted that they once participated in medicalizing children but stopped after witnessing the devastating effects. The Help Not Harm Act represents a critical stand for truth, science, and the protection of vulnerable children. While the courtroom battle continues, the testimony offered this week underscores why we worked for so long to pass this law over Governor Kelly’s veto. We would not be able to do any of this work without your support! Kansas has taken a courageous step, and we must remain steadfast in defending both the law and the children it was designed to protect. |
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