FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2023
BREAKING: Montana Protects Minors from “Transition” Procedures
The new law protects minors from dangerous transgender interventions
Today, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed Senate Bill 99, the Youth Health Protection Act, which protects vulnerable children from both sex-change surgeries and experimental hormones aimed at “transition.” 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, Montana has sent a clear message: they take child safety seriously. When a child is deeply struggling, he or she deserves meaningful help – not the harm of hormones and surgery.
“And these interventions do cause serious harm. They often leave 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 bill is standing in the gap.
“We are so grateful for the tireless work of our friends and allies at Montana Family Foundation, 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. In particular, we applaud Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, an alumna of Family Policy Foundation’s Statesmen Academy, who carried the bill in the House even through significant pressure. And, we thank Governor Gianforte for his leadership in protecting children by signing the bill today.”
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, 13 states have Help Not Harm-like laws (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah). In 2023, 25 states have introduced Help Not Harm-like bills.
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.