National groups voice support for Alberta ban on sex changes for minors

Canadian social conservative groups have responded positively to a recent announcement that banned cross-sex hormones and surgeries for Alberta minors.In a statement sent to the Western Standard, the Association for Reformed Political Action Canada (ARPA), based in Ottawa, welcomed the decision.“ARPA Canada is very thankful for Premier Smith's policy announcement this week,” said John Sikkema, Director of Law and Policy for ARPA Canada. “ARPA has been advocating for these changes to health care policy through a recent policy report on medical gender transitioning and through a dedicated grassroots campaign - Let Kids Be. We urge her government to follow through with implementing these sound policy changes, despite the predictable backlash by progressive activist groups and media.” The National Post reported last year hundreds of teenaged girls in Canada have had mastectomies in the past five years in the name of gender-affirming care.“These mastectomies are not only medically unnecessary but do permanent damage to young women's bodies. They should always be prohibited for minors,” said Levi Minderhoud, a policy analyst for ARPA Canada.“Alberta is right to restrict these surgeries as well as access to puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors, both of which have severe health risks,” said Sikkema.“Various US states have more restrictive policies than Premier Smith's proposal, and Alberta is taking the lead among Canadian provinces in protecting children from these medically unnecessary and dangerous drugs. Other provinces should follow Alberta’s lead.” Finland, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and France have also either limited medical transitioning for minors or are reconsidering their current guidelines. “There simply isn’t enough evidence to support providing medical transitions for minors,” says Minderhoud.“Just a couple of weeks ago, the World Health Organization stated that it would not publish any guidance on medical transitioning for minors for this very reason. We’re thankful that Alberta has begun to follow the science and the growing international consensus that medical transitions for minors aren’t the appropriate response to gender dysphoria.”Campaign Life Coalition also praised what they called Alberta's "ground-breaking new policies to stand against "harmful sexual ideologies."“A political miracle has just happened,” said CLC National President Jeff Gunnarson. “With these new policies, a Canadian premier has essentially told the seemingly unstoppable transgender movement to stop in its tracks and leave Alberta kids alone. I commend Premier Smith for her proposed policies that will go a long way in protecting children and safeguarding the unreplaceable parent-child relationship.”Smith announced Wednesday that surgeries intended to change the child into the opposite sex would be banned for minors 17 and under. And, children 15 years and younger will not be permitted castrating hormones to block puberty.In a move similar to New Brunswick’s, parental consent will be required if a child under 16 wants to change his or her name or pronouns at school. And, in a stunning first for the country, biological men who claim to be women will no longer be allowed to compete in women-only sporting events.A petition created by CLC demanding that child sex change be banned in all provinces has received more than 10,000 signatures. “Banning child sex-change is a common-sense proposal that puts the health and well-being of children first,” the petition states. Gunnarson encouraged provinces to follow Alberta’s lead. “Children in every province need to be protected from mutilating surgeries that leave them permanently sterilized and scarred for life. Children are born in the exact body God intended them to have and God does not make mistakes. Hormones and surgeries that attempt to change a child’s God-given sex are child abuse. They are evil. I encourage every premier to follow Alberta’s lead and protect the children of your province.” Matthew Wojciechowski, CLC vice-president, said that while Alberta’s move puts Canada back on track to sanity and normality, he said Smith’s announcement catered to the "false notion" that someone can change their sex. “There is no such reality as someone being born in the wrong sex. Biologically and scientifically, a person is either male or female. Some of these new policies affirm what Smith calls an ‘adult choice’ to change one’s biological sex, which is a medical impossibility," he said."The new policies, which include bringing transgender surgery mutilators into the province, propagate the lie of ‘gender identity.’ This will cause further harm to children and adults struggling with mental illness and their families who are trying to help them embrace their God-given biological sex."

National groups voice support for Alberta ban on sex changes for minors

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