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To the Editor:

Pursuant to arguments in the Supreme Court this week, I am hopeful that the court will opine in favor of our legislation which was chosen from all the other states passing such legislation to go before and be ruled on by our nation’s highest court.

I was a sponsor of the legislation we passed that the Supreme Court heard today (Thursday) whether states can restrict access to gender-affirming care and related surgeries for minors. I am very hopeful that the court will render a favorable opinion regarding our Tennessee legislation. 

Our law does not restrict individuals 18 years old and older from accessing “gender-affirming care” when they are recognized as an adult by the state of Tennessee. 

If you’re an adult, and you wish to go have this done, that’s one thing, but when you’re a child, then my feeling was and is that the state has a compelling interest to protect these children. The approach we should take if a child is suffering from a psychological condition like “gender dysphoria” is that the child and most probably, the parents, should have access to very good psychological care and counseling instead of going through treatments to physically and irreversibly change a child’s body. Hopefully, this ruling by our highest court will affirm that we should not prescribe these very harmful drugs or engage in these irreversible surgeries until someone is an adult and they can make a prudent decision at such time. 

Too many children have committed suicide once becoming old enough to realize the consequences of their previous actions, which are irreversible. It is well founded that young people do not have the intellectual or emotional maturity to make these life-altering decisions. There are many things for that same reason that we cannot do until we are of adult age. Like voting, for instance. Medical science and extensive research has shown the brain does not fully develop until you are around 25. In October of 2022, responding to the concerns raised by our constituents, we paused all pediatric gender transitions. Thousands gathered at the capitol later that month in Nashville for a rally to end child mutilation.

My hope is that our Supreme Court will stand with Tennessee by ruling that this practice will end.

 

Sen. Rusty Crowe

Johnson City