2 Purpose Statement
The purpose of this paper is to discuss a legislative bill I have chosen and highlight reasons I support it. I live in Missouri and am passionate about equal rights to all residents, regardless of gender. Throughout the last year of 2022 the State of Missouri has seen some major increases in the amount of legislation that has to do with the transgender population (Cunningham, 2022); so I chose to discuss my advocacy against Suzie Pollock's "Missouri Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act. I will also discuss how I would handle the opponents to my position. We will go into further detail on why I chose the legislative bill and position I have; my information will include two course specific resources as well as outside resources. Introduction:I am advocating for the transgender youth and their family members against Suzie Pollock's "Missouri Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act with this any medical professional that provides gender affirming care to patients under the age of 18 to be up for civil action or license revocation (Cunningham, 2022). The SAFE Act is further described as preventing dangerous surgeries and irreversible damage from hormone therapy and other treatments. But are these procedures what are putting our countries transgender youth at risk or is it the denial of these services that is harming this population? © 2020 Laureate Education Inc.
3 While gender transition surgery is not a small decision to make and I do believe very serious thought and considerations should be taken by anyone prior to proceeding with a major surgery; through multiple studies a group of more than 30,000 transgender people show access to this type of care improves the overall mental health. The inability to receive this type of care shows higher incidence of depression, self-harming behavior and suicide If this bill and others similar to it are passed the University of California reports nearly 60,000 young transgender people will lose current access to gender- affirming care with some of those never receiving any gender-affirming care at all (Boerner, H., 2022). Those in favor of this bill are the conservative legislators that believe they are protecting the children from making major changes to their bodies prior to being able to fully understand the gravity of these changes (Migdon, 2022). Other supporters of the bills passing believe there are risks and potential negative outcomes from having these procedures done; one physician stated, "Studies show this mismatch naturally resolves for children if they are not given body harming interventions". I wish there could be some sort of middle ground on this bill but the difference of opinions is on complete opposites of the spectrum. I am fearful that the passing of this bill would take away a fundamental right as an American based on the Gender Equality Act which clearly states, "To be protected from gender reassignment discrimination, you do not need to have undergone any specific treatment or surgery to change from your birth sex to your preferred gender. This is © 2020 Laureate Education Inc.
4 because changing your physiological or other gender attributes is a personal process rather than a medical one" (Equality and Human Rights Commission). For the reasons listed above, I am against passing this bill. I don't believe it is my right as a medical provider to determine whether another individual identifies as a male or female. If a patient is going to be more comfortable in their body and have a better quality of life if they undergo gender reassignment procedures then I fully support that.It seems as time goes on, politicians are becoming involved in medical decisions in regards to ethical standards of medical professionals and I feel the line needs to be drawn in the sand. I don't believe there is a place for politics in healthcare and evidenced based clinical practice should be the foundation to base care (Kingkade, 2015). If a child and their parents both agree with the procedure and wish to proceed, there is absolutely no reason why they should legally punished for doing so. By taking away the right for these children to feel complete and like themselves, we are increasing the chances of these patients suffering from depression with some even attempting suicide.In a recent article a doctor from Washington University out of St Louis stated, "Providing gender affirming care is literally lifesaving," she shared. "In the transgender population, there's a lifetime suicide attempt rate of 40% with a majority of those attempts prior to the age of 19" (Coronel, J., 2022); One of the only hopes to improve these statistics is by providing adequate healthcare to assist with gender identification and transition © 2020 Laureate Education Inc.
5 Conclusion:In conclusion the Missouri Save Adolescents from
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