Nebraska Senator Machaela Kavanaugh (D)’s decision to prevent the Transgender Surgery Bill (LB 574) from consideration in the state legislature until it is repealed has sparked a heated debate on social media, with her Some praise her for her determination, others for her. She condemns her choice.
Also known as the Let Them Grow Act, the bill was introduced to the Nebraska Senate in January by Republican Omaha Senator Kathleen Cout. If passed, the bill will enter into force on October 1, 2023. Prohibits “sex reassignment procedures” for minors in the state.
The bill would prohibit physicians from performing or referring procedures to individuals under the age of 19, including surgical procedures, hormone therapy, and puberty blockers. In addition to being subject to review by state medical licensure boards, minors who have undergone gender reassignment surgery can be sued for up to two years from the date of the surgery.
The Nebraska bill can be seen as part of recent nationwide efforts to restrict LGBTQ and transgender rights in Republican-controlled states across the country. These efforts were bolstered by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’ passage of a “non-gay bill” in Florida, but due to problems related to sexually suggestive words, Obstacles were often found in the approval process. orientation and gender identity.
Most of these legislative efforts focus on criminalizing sex reassignment surgery for transgender youth and limiting children’s exposure to discussions about gender identity and sexuality in schools.
In Nebraska, the bill met with fierce resistance from Kavanaugh. “I don’t care how sick I am. I don’t care how tired I am. I’m not going to look back on this moment,” he said last week. He says he didn’t do everything he could to fight for and protect his children, especially the most vulnerable, who are transgender youth. ”
Her efforts to stop the bill from passing have been praised by activists, and Gen-Z for Change, a nonprofit organization of Gen Z activists, is fighting for incremental change in American politics. A non-profit organization of Gen Z activists, currently celebrating its fourth Cavanaugh filibuster. week. In a tweet published on the group’s account, activists called what the Democratic senator was doing “unbelievable.”
“The legislative session is halfway through and zero bills have been passed,” the group said. murmured March 16th.
But some people aren’t so keen on the Senator’s filibuster. Cavanaugh himself’s Twitter account has been flooded with harsh comments from critics who support the bill and those who oppose the senator’s filibuster.
“There must be urgent issues that need to be addressed urgently: taxes, penal law reform, education funding, highway funding, public transportation, local hospitals, vocational training, workplace housing, juvenile justice issues, restoring SNAP benefits. , state aid recovery, etc. 1 Twitter user commented On the senator’s Twitter account.
“I do not advocate giving gender-affirming care until a child is an adult. , not all children do.We should prosecute crimes as adults, regardless of age.” murmured another.
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in an interview with trend Earlier this week, Cavanaugh said in her view that opposition to the bill was not a “partisan issue.”
“I think everyone should resist, fight and stand up against this attack on transgender youth. I don’t think transphobia is a Republican problem. By people in positions of power,” she told the magazine.
The MP added: “It shouldn’t be only Democrats against this, it should be Republicans. This is government overreach. This is taking away parental rights. No one should support it.” No. This is an attack on children, a Republican mantra, and an attack on families across the country, especially in Nebraska.”
Cout, who introduced the bill, said he is doing it to protect children and give them time to think about what they want.
In a statement to NewsweekCout wrote:[The] The LB 574 Let They Grow bill will be heard on Tuesday. The purpose of this bill is to prohibit children under the age of 19 (the age of majority in Nebraska) from using gender reassignment surgery, puberty blockers, and sex hormones. These drugs are experimental for use in gender dysphoria and have permanent and irreversible side effects associated with surgery.
“It’s a known fact and accepted that young people’s brains fail to make informed decisions with irreversible consequences. Their parents and health care providers Desperately trying to help these children with gender dysphoria, the experience of European countries like Sweden, Finland, the UK and Norway is that these procedures and protocols are used to develop pubertal blockers, We’ve shown that heterosexual hormones, and sex reassignment surgery don’t fix the problem, which includes therapy, not medical procedures or chemicals.
“I’m looking forward to voting tomorrow.”
Supporters of the bill also say there is not enough data to prove that hormone therapy and pubertal blockers are safe in the long term. It states that depriving transgender youth of them only puts vulnerable individuals at risk.
Newsweek I reached out to Senator Kavanaugh’s team via email and phone for comment.
Update March 23, 2023 4:30 AM ET: This article has been updated with comments from Senator Kauth.