Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., expressed shock to Newsmax on Thursday that his red state's governor vetoed a bill that would have restricted gender-change surgeries on minors.
Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, on Tuesday vetoed legislation that passed the Kansas Senate 32-8 and the state House 85-35.
"Wow, I can't believe that she did that," Marshall told "Wake Up America," co-hosts Sharla McBride and Marc Lotter. "This is not an 80-20 issue back home. This is a 95-5. Based upon our polling, 95% of Kansans do not support this transgender agenda.
"Look, I'm a physician and ob-gyn. These surgeries are horrendous. They're irreversible. They're painful."
Usually the gender-change process takes "three or four surgeries," Marshall added.
"My fear is that these people will have chronic pain and scar tissue from these the rest of their lives," he said. "The hormones that they give many of those are irreversible. They cause infertility as well. This is horrible.
"You know, we don't let 14-year-olds get tattoos. We don't let 16-year-olds smoke tobacco, but we're going to let them do this irreversible surgery."
Marshall said doctors who commit gender-change surgery on minors are committing "child abuse."
"Look, these young ladies and men have a problem, you know, and I'm concerned for them," he said. "My heart bleeds for them. It's some type of a mental health challenge, and I want to love them. I want to support them. But an irreversible surgery, an irreversible medication, they're not old enough to make those decisions. And doctors should not be doing this. I think it's child abuse is what I think it is."
Marshall also discussed the Senate and House trying to deliver budget legislation to support President Donald Trump's agenda.
"Look, we're cheering for the House," Marshall, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, said. "We hope they get one big, beautiful bill done in time way before the March 15 deadline and when the government's funding ends.
"There's kind of three balls up in the air and that's two of them. The third one, of course, is the debt limit as well.
"So, I think they're making some progress. We're going down two parallel roads at the same time."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE – See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.