Arkansas Legislature Passes Measure Letting Children Sue If They’re Injured by a Sex-Change Procedure
On Wednesday the Arkansas House of Representatives passed a measure to protect children from medical malpractice in sex-change procedures.
S.B. 199 by Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R – Branch) and Rep. Mary Bentley (R – Perryville) lets a child who undergoes a sex-change procedure sue the healthcare provider who performed procedure if the child suffers any injury as a result.
The bill would let a child file a lawsuit if he or she experiences:
- A physical or physiological injury from the sex-change procedure
- A psychological or emotional injury from the sex-change procedure
- An injury from treatments related to the sex-change procedure
- An injury from the after-effects of the sex-change procedure
S.B. 199 also outlines informed-consent processes for sex-change surgeries, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormones, and it contains protections for healthcare providers who decline to perform sex-reassignment procedures.
More and more, scientific evidence shows sex-reassignment procedures are harmful to children.
Research published this year calls into question the original studies that encouraged doctors to give puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to children with gender dysphoria.
In 2021 a major hospital in Sweden announced that it would no longer give puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to kids.
Last year the U.K.’s National Health Services closed its Tavistock gender clinic that gave puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to children for many years. Families have indicated their children were subjected to sex-reassignment at that clinic despite an obvious lack of scientific evidence in favor of the procedures and inadequate mental health screenings for children with gender dysphoria.
A gender-identity clinic in Scotland faces similar accusations from former patients who say healthcare professionals rushed them into sex-change procedures.
And last July the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finally added a warning label to puberty blockers in America after biological girls developed symptoms of tumor-like masses in the brain.
S.B. 199 will help protect children, and it will provide them and their families with legal recourse if they are injured by a sex-change procedure.
The bill now goes to the governor to become law.
The Following Representatives Voted For S.B. 199
- Andrews
- Barker
- Beaty Jr.
- Beck
- Bentley
- M. Berry
- S. Berry
- Breaux
- Brooks
- K. Brown
- M. Brown
- Burkes
- Joey Carr
- John Carr
- Cavenaugh
- C. Cooper
- Cozart
- Crawford
- Duffield
- Duke
- Eaves
- Eubanks
- Evans
- C. Fite
- L. Fite
- Furman
- Gazaway
- Gonzales
- Gramlich
- Haak
- Hawk
- D. Hodges
- G. Hodges
- Holcomb
- Hollowell
- Jean
- L. Johnson
- Ladyman
- Long
- Lundstrum
- Lynch
- Maddox
- J. Mayberry
- McAlindon
- McClure
- McCollum
- M. McElroy
- McGrew
- B. McKenzie
- McNair
- S. Meeks
- Miller
- Milligan
- J. Moore
- K. Moore
- Painter
- Pearce
- Pilkington
- Puryear
- Ray
- Richmond
- Rose
- Rye
- Schulz
- R. Scott Richardson
- Steimel
- Tosh
- Underwood
- Unger
- Vaught
- Walker
- Watson
- Wing
- Womack
- Wooldridge
- Wooten
The Following Representatives Voted Against S.B. 199
- F. Allen
- Clowney
- A. Collins
- Ennett
- K. Ferguson
- V. Flowers
- D. Garner
- Hudson
- Magie
- McCullough
- Nicks
- J. Richardson
- Scott
- T. Shephard
- Springer
- Wardlaw
- D. Whitaker
The Following Representative Voted “Present” on S.B. 199
- Dalby
The Following Representatives Did Not Vote
- Achor
- D. Ferguson
- Fortner
- Perry
- Warren
- Mr. Speaker
