On Tuesday, the Louisiana legislature overrode Governor John Bel Edwards’ veto of the Stop Harming Our Kids Act, which protects minors from “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 Louisiana 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 agenda that the legislature today protected children from does cause serious harm. It leads down a path of procedures that 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.
“Louisiana’s legislators are standing in the gap.
“We are so grateful for the tireless work of our friends and allies at Louisiana Family Forum 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 important bill.”
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, 19 states have Help Not Harm-like laws (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah). In 2023, 23 states have introduced Help Not Harm-like bills.
