An Unscientific Federal Study

Transgender,

According to various reports, the National Institutes of Health is using federal tax dollars to launch a study “proving” it’s OK to perform sex-change operations on children.

Researchers intend to show transgender affirmation therapy is safe and effective for children who disagree with their biological sex. John Stonestreet at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview writes,

Let’s be clear about what “affirmation therapy” really means: Children are given high doses of puberty-suppressing drugs. Doctors then flood their systems with testosterone or estrogen to induce the formation of opposite-sex characteristics like breasts in males and facial hair in females. Some patients, partway through this process, will undergo “sex-reassignment surgery” in which their internal and even external genitals are removed or remodeled.

This so-called “treatment” will render them infertile for life and can create a host of side-effects, like cancer, infections, gallbladder diseases, and spikes in blood pressure. There is also no long-term research on how these high doses of hormones affect bodies in the long run—bodies that weren’t designed to handle them in the first place.

There is, however, abundant data on the psychological damage of medically “transitioning.” One study from Great Britain found that 20 percent of patients who’d undergone this procedure regretted it. Walt Heyer, a man who formerly lived as a transgender woman and now identifies with his biological sex once again, thinks that’s a serious underestimation.

Advocates for children have said time and time again that encouraging kids to disagree with their biological sex is dangerous.

The American College of Pediatricians writes, “puberty is not a disease and puberty-blocking hormones can be dangerous. Reversible or not, puberty- blocking hormones induce a state of disease — the absence of puberty — and inhibit growth and fertility in a previously biologically healthy child.”

Read John Stonestreet’s entire column here.

Photo Credit: By Rafael Alcarde Palomares (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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Casino Amendment Would Build Highways By Fleecing the Poor

Casinos,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 25, 2018

Little Rock, Ark. – On Thursday the Arkansas Attorney General rejected wording for a ballot proposal authorizing casinos in three counties in Arkansas.

Family Council President Jerry Cox issued a statement saying, “I am glad Attorney General Rutledge rejected this measure. This amendment is so bad it’s hard to know where to begin. Casinos prey on the poor, but this amendment deliberately builds casinos in some of Arkansas’ poorest counties. In fact, it actually prohibits casinos in prosperous counties in central and northwest Arkansas. Why would they want to put casinos in the poorest parts of the state? That’s just going to entice poor people to gamble away what little money they have.”

Cox also said the amendment benefits gambling corporations from other states. “The way the amendment is written, wealthy companies who have experience running casinos elsewhere are the only ones who would be eligible to operate casinos in Arkansas. That’s going to favor big gambling corporations from other states who are looking to expand business. Local people won’t be the ones who own the casinos. Exactly how does that drive Arkansas forward?”

Cox also pointed out the tax rate the amendment imposes on casinos is well below the national average. “Most states tax casinos at a rate of twenty-percent to fifty-percent or more. Under this amendment, casinos in Arkansas would be taxed at twelve-percent. That means casinos in Arkansas would not generate as much tax revenue as they do in other states.”

Cox said in the end casinos will not improve Arkansas’ economy. “Just look at Mississippi and Oklahoma. Their counties that have casinos also have high levels of poverty. Arkansas already has casinos in Garland and Crittenden counties. Garland Count’s poverty rate is forty-percent higher than nearby Saline County’s. Crittenden’s poverty levels are some of the highest in the state. You can’t gamble and tax your way to prosperity.

“And what about the social cost? Casino gambling is linked to homelessness, domestic violence, divorce, and bankruptcy. Supporters say the amendment will improve Arkansas’ roads. If any roads get improved, the poor will be the ones paying for it, and the best roads in town probably will be the ones leading to the casino.”

Family Council is a conservative education and research organization based in Little Rock.

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Photo Credit: By Brian Turner (Flickr: My Trusty Gavel) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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Come to Pastor’s Day At The Capitol On February 15

Arkansas Pastors Network, ,

We are excited to host Pastor’s Day at the Capitol 2018 on Thursday, February 15, from 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM at the State Capitol Building in downtown Little Rock.

This free, nonpartisan event is open to all pastors, chaplains, church leaders, and their spouses.

This will be a time to focus on worshiping God, ministering to those in authority, fostering better relationships between you and your legislators, practicing good citizenship, and learning how your congregation can do the same.

You can register for Pastor’s Day at the Capitol for free by clicking here.

If you have any questions, please contact Charisse Dean at 501-375-7000 or charisse@familycouncil.org.

Come and be encouraged, empowered, inspired, and informed!

Eventbrite - Pastor's Day at the Capitol 2018

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