The Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act has been introduced to the legislatures of 34 different states since the year 2021 began. Such a law would prohibit hormone therapy, puberty-delaying medications, and permanent gender transition procedures for children under the age of 17. The SAFE Act has only been passed by one state so far, Arkansas, but even it is currently under attack.
The SAFE Act, currently Act 626, was passed by the Arkansas State Legislature in April 2021 despite the governor’s veto. Organizations like the Family Research Council, which considers the aforementioned medical practices to be experimental and the concept of changeable sexuality to be harmful to future generations’ lives as well as scientific understanding of human anatomy, applauded this historical action.
Arkansas AG: "We're only wanting to protect the children in the state of Arkansas, again, from making a life-altering permanent decision such as changing their gender." pic.twitter.com/bAXCF9oD2W
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) November 15, 2022
The statute has been temporarily suspended due to a lawsuit filed by four families, two doctors, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against the state. Three plaintiffs, ages 9, 15, and 16, in one case want surgery to change their gender.
Leslie Rutledge (R), the attorney general of Arkansas and soon-to-be lieutenant governor, underlined that the purpose of this law is to safeguard minors in the state from having adults make significant decisions for them before they are of legal age. State residents must now wait as the courts determine whether the SAFE Act will ever become a law.
