Former Vice President Mike Pence called for a ban on federal funding for any health-care center that provides gender-affirming care to anyone under the age of 18.
Pence, a GOP 2024 presidential candidate, issued a press release declaring his intention shortly after he delivered remarks at Saturday’s Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition event in Des Moines.
“The radical left’s culture war is no longer confined to blue states or big cities. They’ve brought it right here to the American heartland,” Pence said. “The University of Iowa has a transgender clinic that is spending taxpayer money to advance the left’s extremist gender ideology. Before your governor and state legislators banned the transitioning of children a few months ago, they were transitioning children as young as 10 years old.”
Earlier this year, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a Republican-led bill to ban gender-affirming care in Iowa, despite public and private pleas from providers, kids, and parents to not enact it.
Gender-affirming care is age-appropriate, medically necessary care that is “made in consultation with medical and mental health professionals and parents,” according to the Human Rights Campaign.
For transgender children, transition is a social process which can include a new name or pronouns, different clothes and different hair style. At puberty, doctors may一in consultation with and having the informed consent of the trans children and their parents一prescribe reversible puberty blockers, which stalls puberty and allows children more time to explore their identity and be sure before continuing treatment.
It is also supported by all major American medical organizations. The form of health care is life-saving for transgender youth and is linked to lower rates of depression and suicide amongst transgender teens.
by Ty Rushing
09/16/23
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