Gov. Sarah Sanders of Arkansas fired back at an Obama-appointed judge on Wednesday, arguing that a bill recently passed into law in Arkansas that regulates transgender treatment and surgery, particularly for kids, will keep kids safe. The bill bans so-called “gender-affirming care” for minors.
She did so on Twitter, writing, “This is not “care” – it’s activists pushing a political agenda at the expense of our kids and subjecting them to permanent and harmful procedures. Only in the far-Left’s woke vision of America is it not appropriate to protect children. We will fight this and the Attorney General plans to appeal Judge Moody’s decision to the Eighth Circuit.”
That was in response to a post from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, in which that outlet said, “BREAKING: Judge blocks #Arkansas ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors. #arpx #ARNews.”
This is not “care” – it’s activists pushing a political agenda at the expense of our kids and subjecting them to permanent and harmful procedures.
Only in the far-Left’s woke vision of America is it not appropriate to protect children.
We will fight this and the Attorney… https://t.co/7wCeR4I1Vo— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) June 20, 2023
In his ruling, Judge Moody claimed that so-called “gender-affirming care” for youths claiming to be transgender has positive effects on them, turning them from being “depressed” and “anxious” into being “happy and healthy.” In his words: “This care allowed them to grow from depressed, anxious, and withdrawn young people into happy and healthy teenagers who looked forward to their futures…the State offered no evidence to refute the decades of clinical experience demonstrating the efficacy of gender-affirming medical care.”
Judge Moody went on to argue that Arkansas claimed that banning transgender surgeries and hormones for minors would protect those minors from being part of experimental medical procedures for which there was little evidence of efficacy and serious risk of side effects deleterious to their health. He disagreed with that argument, claiming that so-called gender-affirming care is generally helpful to even minors who claim to be transgender.
Gov. Sanders wasn’t the only one in the Arkansas government to disagree with Judge Moody’s decision. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin wrote, “I am disappointed in the decision that prevents our state from protecting our children against dangerous medical experimentation under the moniker of ‘gender transition.’ Unfortunately, Judge Moody misses what is widely understood across the United States and in the United Kingdom and European countries: There is no scientific evidence that any child will benefit from these procedures, while the consequences are harmful and often permanent. I will continue fighting as long as it takes to stop providers from sterilizing children.”
"*" indicates required fields
Meanwhile, one of the plaintiffs in the suit cheered Judge Moody’s decision, saying, “I’m so grateful the judge heard my experience of how this health care has changed my life for the better and saw the dangerous impact this law could have on my life and that of countless other transgender people,” Brandt said in the release. “My mom and I wanted to fight this law not just to protect my health care, but also to ensure that transgender people like me can safely and fully live our truths. Transgender kids across the country are having their own futures threatened by laws like this one, and it’s up to all of us to speak out, fight back, and give them hope.”