California Attorney General Rob Bonta doubled-down on the state's "unwavering commitment" to providing irreversible gender transitioning treatments — including surgical procedures — for minors in the wake of arguments before the Supreme Court regarding Tennessee's ban on such measures.
Bonta released a statement on Wednesday, the day the high court heard the case brought by the Biden administration over Tennessee's 2023 law — Senate Bill 1 — prohibiting the use of puberty blockers and other gender reassigning treatments for minors.
"My office reaffirms our unwavering commitment to protecting the health and rights of transgender individuals to access medically necessary care," Bonta wrote. "Laws such as Tennessee's Senate Bill 1 are dangerous and discriminatory by denying transgender youth the critical, lifesaving care they need. Amid a growing wave of legislative attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, it is more important than ever to stand against these harmful measures."
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti on Thursday called out the "dangerous" language used by officials like Bonta, likening gender transition — "lifesaving care" — to suicide prevention measures.
"I mean, it's been very explicit: You can either have a dead daughter or a live son, or a live daughter or a dead son," Skrmetti told Newsmax on Thursday. "People have been bullied into adopting the posture that this is good, because they don't want their kid to die."
He added, "If the kids keep hearing that, I think it's dangerous."
From 2019-23, California performed more than 2,050 sex reassignment procedures on minors, according to watchdog Do No Harm. According to The Center Square, that was the most in the country. Submitted charges for those procedures came to nearly $29 million, or an estimated $14,300 per child, according to Do No Harm.
Further, Do No Harm shows that three of the top 12 hospitals in the country performing these procedures are in California:
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles (Los Angeles)
- Rady Children's Hospital (San Diego)
- UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland (Oakland)
"And so recognizing that suicide is not inevitable as a result of not getting these treatments is really important for kids to make better decisions, for parents to make better decisions, for us to have a more realistic and balanced conversation about the risks and benefits of giving kids these drugs," Skrmetti told Newsmax.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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