FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 16, 2023
BREAKING: North Carolina OVERRIDES Governor’s Veto to Protect Minors from Transgender Procedures
New laws protect minors from harmful, irreversible “transition”
Today, the North Carolina legislature overrode Governor Cooper’s veto of House Bill 808, which protects minors from dangerous and irreversible “transition” procedures. The law holds healthcare professionals accountable by providing child victims an opportunity to sue for damages.
Meridian Baldacci, Director of Strategy at Family Policy Alliance, responded:
“Today, the North Carolina legislature has sent a clear message: they take child safety seriously and will do what it takes to ensure kids are not in harm’s way.
“And the procedures that the legislature today protected children from do cause serious harm. ‘Transition’ often leaves young people sterile, with a variety of irreversible maladies and physical changes, and the deep pain of regret. All this can happen before a child is even old enough to buy cough syrup over the counter.
“This law is standing in the gap.
“We are so grateful for the tireless work of our friends and allies at the North Carolina Family Policy Council who shepherded this bill throughout the process. Their courageous leadership, and the hard work of the representatives who sponsored and supported this bill, was instrumental in making today possible. And, we thank and honor the legislators who led and voted for this bill. We especially thank Representatives Dean Arp and David Willis, alumni of Family Policy Foundation’s Statesmen Academy, for their leadership.”
Family Policy Alliance (FPA) began work on protecting minors from transgender interventions in 2017, when the group first drafted an early version of what is now the Help Not Harm Act. In 2021, FPA launched its Help Not Harm campaign following the passage of Arkansas’s SAFE Act (the first successful bill in the nation to offer these protections).
To date, 20 states have Help Not Harm-like laws (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah). In 2023, 23 states have introduced Help Not Harm-like bills.
North Carolina also today overrode its governor’s veto of a Save Girls’ Sports bill (HB 574), which ensures that girls’ sports are reserved for female athletes at school. North Carolina is the 23rd state with such a law.
Media Contact:
Robert Noland, (719) 308-2822, Media@FamilyPolicyAlliance.com
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Family Policy Alliance advances biblical citizenship and promotes public policy that protects religious freedom, families, and life.