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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
A number of prominent Republicans from across the country have filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in opposition of Tennessee’s ban on gender transition medical procedures for children.
The brief argues that, “While the government has a role in keeping kids safe, that role is limited, and it does not justify the State second-guessing the judgments of parents acting in good faith who are best positioned to know what their children need. States have no business overruling the decisions of fit parents who make an informed medical choice for their children that is supported by their doctors, by the medical profession more generally, by the children themselves, and by their conscience.”
Signing the amicus brief are eight former Republican members of Congress: Reps. Christopher Shays of Connecticut, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, Connie Morella of Maryland, Susan Molinari of New York, Deborah Pryce of Ohio, Claudine Schneider of Rhode Island, and Barbara Comstock and Denver Riggleman of Virginia.
The list also includes three current Republican state lawmakers — Wyoming state Rep. Dan Zwonitzer and Missouri state Reps. Chris Sander and Chad Ingels — and Brian Jones, communications director for John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and a senior adviser to Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential bid.
Former Republican Congress member from Florida, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who has a transgender child, says that it is “imperative” that they work together “preserving limited government and parental rights.”
“We all can agree that parents know what is best for their children and the government should not stand in the way of parents making well-informed decisions,” Ros-Lehtinen stated.
The brief makes the argument that if Tennessee “can impose their will on parents, then so can states and local governments that think differently — for instance, by allowing (or even requiring) schools to shut parents out of discussions regarding their child’s gender expression. Beyond the gender identity context, there is no end to the kinds of parental decisions that local, state, or federal officials could hijack whenever they think they know better than parents.”
The brief also argues that Tennessee’s law is a violation of the equal protection clause because it still allows cisgender children to receive puberty blockers if medically warranted.
Back in June, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.
Tennessee is currently one of 26 states that have passed laws limiting the availability of things such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and reassignment surgeries for minors.
A separate amicus brief was filed by more than 160 Democrat members of Congress, alleging that the state’s law was “dangerous” and “unscientific.”
3 Responses
If there are currently 26 states with bans, why is Tennessee such a huge target?
IF there is ‘real’ justice at SCOTUS, they’d reject this brief unanimously! The petitioners have ‘no standing”, ZERO! They have the right to oppose similar legislation in their states but NOT in Tennessee. The Tennessee legislature did the correct thing by banning this radical, unimaginably wrong and sick medical treatment! Money hungry organizations like Vanderbilt University Medical Center would continue to sell out parents rights for the opportunity to ‘serve’ minors rather than tell them the truth, which is “You are what God made you, let us help you deal with it”!
Lucifer’s RINOS.