Referring to https://townhall.virginia.gov/l/GetFile.cfm?File=C:%5CTownHall%5Cdocroot%5CGuidanceDocs_Proposed%5C201%5CGDoc_DOE_4683_20201208.pdf&eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=c88e8b38-0b61-495c-b4b5-bad1b745bd0d&eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=ba2a2c32-3602-4793-a87a-c65e1e2bba9a. This agency may not yet understand that the U.K. has ruled that Doctors Have a Legal Duty to Protect Children in Gender Transition.  It is a matter of time before a similar ruling happens in the U.S., and will affect any such policy in Virginia.  Children deserve educator protection.

A young woman in the United Kingdom (U.K.) has prevailed in her lawsuit that doctors should have protected her from her gender transition.

Ms. Keira Bell, a 23-year-old woman who began taking puberty blockers when she was 16, was injected with testosterone at 17 and had a mastectomy aged 20, before 'detransitioning.'  She brought a law suit against the U.K.’s National Health Service gender clinic, arguing that she was too young and vulnerable to understand her circumstances, and that doctors should have challenged her transition.  The Daily Mail reported that while Bell was cancelled by social media for her legal actions, the U.K. High Court found in her favor, holding that children under 16 cannot properly consent to their own gender transition.  See Ms. Bell’s post-judicial video, putting her own voice to her concerns about protecting vulnerable children.

The Court held that children must understand “long-term consequences of treatment.” The judges said in their ruling: “It is highly unlikely that a child aged 13 or under would be competent to give consent to the administration of puberty blockers.”  It added, “It is doubtful that a child aged 14 or 15 could understand and weigh the long-term risks and consequences of the administration of puberty blockers.”  Hereafter doctors must seek court approval before prescribing puberty blockers. That protection is not in the policy.

Legislators and educators concerned for vulnerable children understand this process of protecting children dealing with gender dysphoria is key to healthy children and families.  These new proposed policies should be opposed to protect children, and to avoid lawsuits like this one, against Virginia educators.