Virginia State Senator Seeks to Ban Child Gender Transitions

A Virginia state senator has proposed a bill that would ban gender transition medical procedures on children in the state, but the Democrat-run Senate will likely kill the bill in committee.

State Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, introduced the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act this week, which prohibits gender transition procedures, defined in the bill, for individuals under 18 years of age and prohibits the use of public funds for gender transition procedures for individuals under 18 years of age.

"The bill establishes enforcement procedures for violation of the SAFE Act," the summary reads. "The bill provides that a health benefit plan providing health care coverage in the Commonwealth is prohibited from providing coverage for gender transition procedures for individuals younger than 18 years of age and is not required to provide coverage for gender transition procedures for individuals 18 years of age or older."

Doctors would be banned from prescribing puberty blockers and hormone treatments in addition to not being authorized for genital mutilation surgeries for children under the age of 18.

"I've actually been in contact with the legislator in Arkansas who passed this bill," Chase told WRIC 8News. "We have to protect minors, regardless of the mental state of the parents.

"This is child abuse."

Chase argues gender transition is dangerous and experimental for children and claims 80%-90% of youth who transition ultimately give up on the transition down the road.

While Virginia Senate Democrats are unlikely to bring the bill out of committee, Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin has demurred on ever signing the ban anyway, pointing to parental rights.

"I do believe, that at the end of the day, these are decisions that are going to have to be made between parents, a child and a trusted physician," Youngkin told WRIC.

"I don't think that bill, I mean, candidly, is going to ever make it to me. We have a bipartisan Legislature, and the realities of that bipartisan Legislature is we have Democrats that control the Senate and Republicans that control the House."

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