Progressives Think Protecting Children is an Immoral Human Rights Violation
A look at progressive reaction to Danielle Smith’s new legislation
Danielle Smith video transcript
Today our government is introducing Bill 9.
Bill 9 will invoke the Canadian Charter’s Notwithstanding Clause to amend and uphold three critical pieces of legislation without further court delay or uncertainty.
We have a responsibility. A responsibility to provide clarity. A responsibility to protect all children and youth. And a responsibility to give parents, not institutions or courts, the primary role in life-changing decisions about their children.
This government does not turn to the notwithstanding clause unless the stakes warrant it. And in this case, the stakes could not be higher. This legislation is not about denying care. We cannot and will not take the risk of a child undergoing medical, hormonal or surgical interventions that could permanently limit or eliminate the choices they may want to make as an adult. We want every young Albertan to receive the mental health supports, the compassion and the guidance that they need at home, at school and in their communities.
Before I wrap up, I do want to speak directly to young Albertans who are navigating what their identity means through the already difficult process of growing up. ~ You deserve dignity, understanding and support.
You belong in Alberta. We firmly believe that. We also believe it’s our duty to protect you. This legislation is about your future. So when the time comes, you have every opportunity. This legislation is about your future. So when the time comes, you have every opportunity to make the adult decisions that are rightfully yours and yours alone.
This week AB Premier Danielle Smith announced her proposed legislation to safeguard minors from the medical experimentation of gender affirming care, to strengthen parental involvement in education, and to safeguard girls’ and women’s sport. Smith says her legislation is not about denying care, rather, it’s a safeguard against the risk of a child undergoing medical, hormonal or surgical interventions that could result in irreversible changes that would limit their future choices.
Naturally the gender affirmation cult of body modification responded in a hyperbolic and hysterical manner. The cult has come out in full force on Xwitter, trolling mainstream Canadians about how this safeguarding legislation violates human rights etc etc blah blah blah. Immoral, dangerous, far right agenda, scapegoating the trans community … this is a sample of the language employed by the gender affirmation cult.
Fae Johnstone calls this part of a far right agenda. Avi Lewis agrees.
“Thank you FaeJohnstone for asking this important question, and for your commitment to this necessary work. When trans people and other marginalized groups are targeted, all of us are implicated. There can be no neutral bystanders — our fates are intertwined.” — Avi Lewis on Xwitter
Avi Lewis video transcript
Hi there, Faye. Thank you for this question, and even more so for all your passion and commitment to this necessary work. This question has been on my mind as, of course, it’s Trans Awareness Week. And no question, this is a dangerous and frightening time to be a queer or trans person right now.
And instead of protecting trans rights, governments around the world are rolling them back. Canada is shamefully part of this terrifying trend. Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and now Alberta are all enacting harmful legislation that prevents young people from accessing confidential and safe gender-affirming care.
And when they’re challenged, they double down even more violently, as Danielle Smith has done this week with her despicable use of the notwithstanding clause in support of harmful legislation. We need to be clear about why this is happening. The rising right is weaponizing prejudice and disinformation, especially about trans kids, to distract and divide all Canadians under cover of these blame games, also being used to attack immigrants and homeless people, right-wing governments are dismantling universal public services like education and health care.
While Danielle Smith tries to stir a debate about whether trans kids deserve proper care, what else is happening? Teachers are being forced back to work. Two-tier privatized health care is openly and illegally rammed through ~ both with the bulldozer of the notwithstanding clause. That’s why it’s important to remember that while only the most vulnerable among us are being targeted, all of us are implicated.
That’s why we all need to stand up and fight back. Our fates are intertwined. There are no neutral bystanders here. Last parliament, the NDP presented the Trans White Paper, which lays out in detail various ways the federal government can support trans people. The NDP will continue to champion this, regardless of which one of us is chosen leader. and will continue to fight for trans people of all ages to access gender-affirming care under the Canada Health Act.
It’s evidence-based, essential care. So thanks again for your question, Faye. I will stand up for trans, gender-diverse and 2SLGBTQIA+ people standing behind and alongside folks like you who lead this fight with such moral, clarity and power. Trans folks are feeling scared and abandoned by governments right now.
Heather McPherson wanted to be sure that “trans kids” know they are loved, stating on Xwitter “to all the trans kids who are hurting because of the hateful attacks from Danielle Smith, know that you belong … we will fight alongside you.”
Heather McPherson video transcript
Just when you think that Danielle Smith can’t go any lower, she brings forward a piece of legislation like C9. No, a piece of legislation that takes away the human rights of trans people in our community, attacks trans kids, some of the most vulnerable kids in our community. This piece of legislation is wrong. It’s wrong, it’s small-minded, it’s mean. And it’s so dangerous. It’s so dangerous. Danielle Smith, trans kids aren’t your tool.
They’re not your foil to rouse up the far right within your party. These kids deserve your respect. They deserve your protection. You are the premier of this province. And the fact that you have let them down, the fact that you have brought forward such hateful hateful legislation. horrifying. And to every kid, to every trans kid who felt today that their government was against them, that felt that there was a target on their back, you are so loved. You belong here. You belong in Alberta. You belong in Canada. And we will stand with you. We will fight. We will fight back against this terrible legislation.
Avi laments that Danielle Smith has decided trans kids [don’t] deserve proper care. Heather calls child safeguarding from medical experimentation mean, hateful, dangerous. She accuses Smith of using children to further a political agenda. Heather says to Smith “trans kids aren’t your tool.”
So, the Liberals and NDP have decided to politicise paediatric health care for gender discordant children. That’s their response to safeguarding legislation.
Meanwhile, boosted by federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser, Senator Kristopher Wells has decide an appropriate response entails sharing his federally funded research study on the lives experience of trans and nonbinary youth, a study of N=25, all survey participants recruited via trans-focussed social media platforms and local community groups. Senator Wells calls the safeguarding legislation “immoral & unethical.”
Meanwhile, here’s what’s happening in the United States.
This is Admiral Brian Christine, the Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services. Over the past decade, the number of children and adolescents who reject their biological sex has risen dramatically. ~ Some analyses indicate trans-identifying teens nearly doubled from 2022 to 2023.
These young people and their families are searching for answers to gender dysphoria. They deserve honesty, compassion, and the strongest evidence for the help that the medical profession can offer. And that is why the United States Department of Health and Human Services worked with nine academics with professional backgrounds in medicine, bioethics, psychology, and philosophy to conduct the most comprehensive review to date of the standard of care for gender dysphoria in minors.
The findings within the 400-page peer-reviewed report are clear. Sex-rejecting procedures such as puberty blockers, Cross-sex hormones and surgeries for children are dangerous. They can cause infertility, a loss of sexual function, reduced bone density, metabolic and cognitive effects, and certainly surgical complications. They can scar kids, both physically and emotionally, for life, and they can do irreversible harm. I implore physicians and parents to read this report and protect children from fraudulent procedures.
My message to parents and kids navigating a world mired in confusion and despair is very simple. The prior administration and my predecessor, Rachel Levine, manipulated and betrayed vulnerable families. The Trump administration has the wheel now, and we will never, never abandon you. We are committed to gold standard science, not a political agenda, and we are always guided by radical transparency.
Today we are releasing nearly 200 pages of independent peer reviews that confirm the accuracy and the integrity of our findings. Around the world, countries like the United Kingdom, Sweden and Finland have already shifted course emphasizing psychotherapy and mental health support for children confused about their sex. And it is long time that we do the same in the United States. And this is not about politics. It’s about science. It’s about safety. And it’s about trust.
Our mission is to ensure every American, and especially every child, receives medical care that is evidence-based, that is ethical, and worthy of the public’s confidence. Protecting our children’s health and their future is good medicine, and is also our moral obligation. And in the administration, we take this obligation very, very seriously.
At the Department of Health and Human Services, we will continue to be guided by gold standard science. a dedication to radical transparency and always the truth. That is our commitment to the American people and it’s my promise, my pledge to you as the Assistant Secretary for Health. Blessings upon you, upon your children and upon our Republic. Thank you.
I’ll leave readers with a reality-based reminder.
“The Cass Review is a Pile of Garbage” — Dr Daniel Metzger
A considerable amount of time and care and skill goes into researching and preparing these articles that challenge gender affirming care (GAC) as a legitimate method of treatment for adolescent children experiencing distress and disembodiment related to sexual maturation. The few who do this work typically paywall their articles. I have consistently cho…