By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor Friday, December 06, 2024Unsplash/Felipe Brayner
The Chilean Senate has approved a new bill to prohibit the use of public funds for surgical or hormonal interventions intended for the gender transition of minors under the age of 18.
As the first legislative move of its kind in Latin America, the conservative legal advocacy group ADF International says the move effectively halts state-sponsored support for such procedures.
“Chile is to be commended for taking an important step in saying no to the dangers of gender ideology,” Tomás Henríquez, director of Latin America advocacy at ADF International, said in a statement.
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“Now, other countries must do the same. Every child is precious just as they are and has the absolute right to be safeguarded from a radical ideology that promotes dangerous drugs and surgeries with devastating consequences.”
The legislation comes in response to recommendations by a Chilean congressional investigative committee that scrutinized the “PAIG” or Growing with Pride program. The report, which was narrowly approved 7 to 6, advocated for the immediate suspension of initiatives related to children’s gender transition.
The PAIG program was operating in 37 hospitals across the country and included interventions ranging from family consultations to referrals for hormone therapy, the report states. It also noted that the program gave psychosocial teams the authority to take legal action against parents who resisted their child’s participation in the program.
The PAIG program had treated or engaged with over 4,142 children and adolescents, despite what the committee described as “a lack of consensus in the medical-scientific community” and international moves to scale back such treatments, especially in several European countries, noted the report.
The law, which passed on Nov. 20, 2024, reflects growing concern within Chile over the impact of hormone treatments and surgeries on minors.
The Chilean government has indicated it may challenge the amendment at the Constitutional Court. Should the challenge proceed, the court will have to determine whether the law aligns with the country’s constitutional framework, which guarantees certain protections for children’s rights and parental responsibilities.
In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service recently advised gender clinics to implement a pause on first appointments for those younger than 18 after the release of a long-awaited review of how the government service treats youth with gender dysphoria. The review was prompted by the exponential increase in youth seeking treatment for gender dysphoria over the past decade-plus.
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Publish date : 2024-12-06 02:11:00
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Publish date : 2024-12-06 16:04:52
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