Arkansas’ Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders fired back at an Obama-appointed federal judge for “pushing a political agenda at the expense of our kids.”
The governor fired back after Judge James M. Moody Jr. blocked her ban on sex change treatments for children.
Moody, a senior district judge appointed by former President Obama, struck down the Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act.
“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,” Sanders said.
“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.”
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said:
“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.”
In his #SAFEAct ruling, Judge Moody misses what is widely known: There is no scientific evidence that any child will benefit from these procedures, while the consequences are harmful and often permanent. We will appeal to the Eighth Circuit. https://t.co/ecEvqp3d0v #arpx #arnews pic.twitter.com/KFhSYsOiXE
— Attorney General Tim Griffin (@AGTimGriffin) June 20, 2023
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
According to NBC:
The American Civil Liberties Union sued in May 2021 on behalf of four trans minors and their parents, as well as two physicians who provide gender-affirming health care, arguing that it violates the Constitution.
Attorneys for the state relied on five arguments to support the law, according to Moody’s opinion.
They argued that there is a lack of evidence supporting gender-affirming care for minors, that the banned treatment has harmful side effects, that many patients will “desist” or stop identifying as trans when they grow older, that some patients will regret their transitions and that doctors are providing treatment without thorough evaluation and informed consent.
However, Moody wrote, “the evidence presented at trial does not support these assertions.”
He said the state’s arguments didn’t explain “why only gender-affirming medical care — and all gender-affirming medical care — is singled out for prohibition.”
“The testimony of well-credentialed experts, doctors who provide gender-affirming medical care in Arkansas, and families that rely on that care directly refutes any claim by the State that the Act advances an interest in protecting children,” Moody wrote.
