“While 26 states have banned transgender medical treatments for minors so far, the ban in Tennessee has been challenged and is currently being reviewed by the United States Supreme Court. In this TAB Media Group Special Report episode, Jennifer Davis Rash talks with Brent Leatherwood, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, about concerns related to the treatments as well as the reasonings behind banning them.
Leatherwood, a Tennessee Baptist, attended the Dec. 4 oral arguments in Washington D.C. and offers observations from the experience. He also wrote an opinion piece that was published by The Tennessean (https://www.tennessean.com/story/opin…) on Dec. 4 and led ERLC to file an amicus brief (https://erlc.com/press/erlc-files-u-s…) in conjunction with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board on Oct. 15 to defend a Tennessee law that would protect minors from harmful “gender transition” surgeries.
“[The Dec. 4] oral arguments highlighted exactly why Tennessee’s law is so needed,” Leatherwood said in a statement released by ERLC. “As Tennessee’s Solicitor General pointed out, these novel and experimental treatments often leave children infertile and with permanently damaged bodies. Given those harmful effects, it is not only entirely appropriate, but constitutionally permissible, for the state to intervene to protect these vulnerable minors. They need care and compassion, not a radical remaking of their bodies “While one can never draw a direct line from the questioning of the justices to the ultimate result, it was evident to everyone in the courtroom that a majority of the Court was skeptical of the U.S. government’s arguments,” Leatherwood stated. “Tennessee’s law is good and just — and the Supreme Court should reject this challenge from the ACLU and the Biden Administration.”
To learn more about this topic and to find free resources related to it, visit https://erlc.com.”
