Hey Kimmie, I thought you were all for parents' rights. Shouldn't it be up to parents what's in their kids' best interest? She's such a pathetic wingnut stooge:
Banning gender-affirming care for Iowans under the age of 18 is “in the best interest of the kids,” to whom her heart goes out, Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday.
Reynolds also fired back at the proposed law’s critics, who she said remind her of the critics of her move to reopen Iowa’s schools and businesses earlier than some other states during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reynolds discussed the proposed gender-affirming ban, which needs only her signature to become state law, and other topics during a news conference Tuesday at the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
www.thegazette.com
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It was Reynolds’ first formal news conference in eight months.
Reynolds scheduled the news conference, along with the state public safety department, to discuss a new state program for Iowans to anonymously report concerns about potential threat of school violence. She then fielded a handful of questions on other topics.
Republican state lawmakers have approved two pieces of legislation that they say will protect Iowa’s children and critics say put transgender children at risk.
One bill, Senate File 482, would prohibit transgender students in Iowa’s K-12 schools from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity.
The other, Senate File 538, would ban gender-affirming care — like hormone therapies, puberty blockers and cosmetic surgeries — for minors.
Both bills passed with only Republican support in the Iowa Legislatur, and await Reynolds’ signature. It is likely that both will face legal challenges from opponents if Reynolds signs them into law.
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The bills, Reynolds said, have not yet been delivered to her office.
Echoing arguments made by some Republican lawmakers during debate, Reynolds on Tuesday said she does not believe the science is settled on the long-term impacts of gender-affirming care.
All major American medical organizations — including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and American Psychiatric Association — say gender-affirming care is safe and encourage it as a treatment for gender dysphoria, which is when an individual feels like they are a different gender than their birth gender.
Reynolds and other Republicans have pointed to studies and actions in some European countries. For example, the United Kingdom’s only center dedicated to gender identity treatment for children will close, and Sweden last year began restricting hormone therapy for minors.
Most medical studies show gender-affirming care is beneficial for young people experiencing gender dysphoria. Some have noted possible long-term effects and suggest more research is needed.
“We don’t even understand the long-term effects. … We don’t know,” Reynolds said Tuesday. “So I don’t think it’s too much to ask, to say I don’t know what the rush is when we don’t have science that’s conclusive.”
She said it reminded her of 2020, early in the COVID pandemic.
“It reminded me of, we’re standing here a couple of years ago during COVID when I had the medical profession and the media unleash on me because I had the gall of saying that our children should be back in a classroom and that masks should not mandated,” Reynolds said.
When asked what is her message to transgender youth and families who feel, in consultation with their physician, that gender-affirming care is right for them and helps them escape suicidal thoughts, Reynolds said her heart goes out to them.
“I’m a parent. I’m a grandmother. I know how difficult this is,” Reynolds said. “This is an extremely uncomfortable position for me to be in. And I don’t like it.
“But I have to do what I believe, right now, is in the best interest of the kids until we can have some more research done or we can see what’s happening in some of the other countries that have been doing this, to better understand the impact. I think that’s reasonable.”
Banning gender-affirming care for Iowans under the age of 18 is “in the best interest of the kids,” to whom her heart goes out, Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday.
Reynolds also fired back at the proposed law’s critics, who she said remind her of the critics of her move to reopen Iowa’s schools and businesses earlier than some other states during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reynolds discussed the proposed gender-affirming ban, which needs only her signature to become state law, and other topics during a news conference Tuesday at the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
Gender-affirming care ban in ‘best interest’ of Iowa children, Kim Reynolds says
Governor discusses transgender bills during her first formal news conference in 8 months
www.thegazette.com
Advertisement
It was Reynolds’ first formal news conference in eight months.
Reynolds scheduled the news conference, along with the state public safety department, to discuss a new state program for Iowans to anonymously report concerns about potential threat of school violence. She then fielded a handful of questions on other topics.
Republican state lawmakers have approved two pieces of legislation that they say will protect Iowa’s children and critics say put transgender children at risk.
One bill, Senate File 482, would prohibit transgender students in Iowa’s K-12 schools from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity.
The other, Senate File 538, would ban gender-affirming care — like hormone therapies, puberty blockers and cosmetic surgeries — for minors.
Both bills passed with only Republican support in the Iowa Legislatur, and await Reynolds’ signature. It is likely that both will face legal challenges from opponents if Reynolds signs them into law.
On Iowa Politics
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The bills, Reynolds said, have not yet been delivered to her office.
Echoing arguments made by some Republican lawmakers during debate, Reynolds on Tuesday said she does not believe the science is settled on the long-term impacts of gender-affirming care.
All major American medical organizations — including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and American Psychiatric Association — say gender-affirming care is safe and encourage it as a treatment for gender dysphoria, which is when an individual feels like they are a different gender than their birth gender.
Reynolds and other Republicans have pointed to studies and actions in some European countries. For example, the United Kingdom’s only center dedicated to gender identity treatment for children will close, and Sweden last year began restricting hormone therapy for minors.
Most medical studies show gender-affirming care is beneficial for young people experiencing gender dysphoria. Some have noted possible long-term effects and suggest more research is needed.
“We don’t even understand the long-term effects. … We don’t know,” Reynolds said Tuesday. “So I don’t think it’s too much to ask, to say I don’t know what the rush is when we don’t have science that’s conclusive.”
She said it reminded her of 2020, early in the COVID pandemic.
“It reminded me of, we’re standing here a couple of years ago during COVID when I had the medical profession and the media unleash on me because I had the gall of saying that our children should be back in a classroom and that masks should not mandated,” Reynolds said.
When asked what is her message to transgender youth and families who feel, in consultation with their physician, that gender-affirming care is right for them and helps them escape suicidal thoughts, Reynolds said her heart goes out to them.
“I’m a parent. I’m a grandmother. I know how difficult this is,” Reynolds said. “This is an extremely uncomfortable position for me to be in. And I don’t like it.
“But I have to do what I believe, right now, is in the best interest of the kids until we can have some more research done or we can see what’s happening in some of the other countries that have been doing this, to better understand the impact. I think that’s reasonable.”
