The Veto Session Results In A Historic Win For Louisiana

It it now illegal to medically modify the sex of minors.

Congratulations to Representative Gabe Firment on this historic win with the legislative override of the veto on HB648!! It has been an honor to support such a courageous legislator in his efforts to protect children from medical harm.

Stories and headlines released this week only confirm the necessity of this law to protect children and parental rights. A Louisiana mom who testified in defense of the bill, Tandy Lynn Hebert, shared more details of her experience in an article released yesterday by the Washington Examiner. Hebert tells of being separated from her daughter and her medical records as “hospital staff used “emotional blackmail” to pressure them down the path of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and genital mutilation surgery. “Would you rather have a dead daughter or a live son,” they said.”

But, wait. There’s more:

“A Washington Examiner investigation revealed how Louisiana's laws and CHNO's records policies for adolescent patients worked in tandem with Epic, a medical records software company, to remove parents from their child's healthcare to allow minors to choose a path of transgender drugs and surgeries at the behest of doctors who advocate for them.

"If parents are blocked from seeing their children’s electronic health records, they are left in the dark about life-altering decisions being made for their children by medical professionals with a political bias or agenda," Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of the medical advocacy group Do No Harm, told the Washington Examiner.” Source

I received confirmation yesterday that legislators WILL BE tackling the subject of Louisiana’s controversial minor consent law next year.

The story broke this week of Prisha Mosley’s lawsuit against the doctors who began her sex-modification treatment as a minor while never addressing her underlying mental health concerns.

“The treatments left irreversible scars, she says, including a deep voice, body and facial hair, pain in her neck and shoulders, a damaged vagina, and she will not be able to breastfeed and may be infertile.” Source

Prisha Mosley, before and after medical treatment to alter her sex which began when she was a minor.

Mosley’s testimony in support of HB648 before the House Health and Welfare committee provided one of the most memorable exchanges when Representative Kenny Cox (D) asked if she had been “groomed.” You can see her testimony HERE. Cox, a Democrat, was not alone in his support of the legislation, as the bill had significant bipartisan support throughout the legislative process, including the veto session when it had more than the 2/3 votes necessary to pass.

Today, another story depicting horrific medical treatment beginning when the patient was a minor, again without addressing the underlying mental health issues, was released. The young man’s real name is being withheld for privacy reasons.

“Kobe was started on puberty blockers around 13, estrogen at 16 and later had castration surgery at 19.

"I was expecting it to help me help my mental health, and it didn't do anything. I just wasted so much time and all I did really was become a medical patient for life," he said. 

Kobe said his growth is "permanently stunted" because of puberty blockers, and has chronic pain in his spine as well.” Source

The passage of HB648 prevents these types of treatments from being performed on children starting in January of 2024. The intervening time is intended to wean children off of cross-sex hormones.

We are thankful HFL was able to play a supportive role on the passage of this historic and meaningful legislation and again congratulate Representative Gabe Firment on this tremendous success! #LeaveTheKidsAlone

How did the other health freedom legislation fare during the veto session?

HB399 by Rep Kathy Edmonston was the first bill to be considered and receive a vote. This bill simply requires schools to inform parents and students of the state’s already existing exemption law. This is the third year that we have supported this legislation. It gave me a little heart attack when HB399 passed the House - and then I realized it had to go to the Senate, where it ultimately failed by 3 votes. Four Senate Republicans voted against it: Bernard, Connick, Mills, Pope. Connick voted against it originally on June 5, but Bernard, Mills, and Pope voted for it the first time. Why did Bernard, Mills, and Pope change their vote?

HB182 by Representative Kathy Edmonston failed in the House by one vote, but there was a flurry of activity almost immediately after, as Rep Farnum’s vote of “absent” was somehow unintentional. He raced to the well from his seat in the chamber and stayed there through several more bills. Rep Edmonston also questioned the clerks for several minutes, and went back across the Rotunda after the vote on HB399 in the Senate to try one last time to get the vote adjusted before they adjourned, Sine Die, without success. I’ve included photos below of Rep. Farnum and Rep Edmonston attempting to find out what could be done about the errant vote.

HB415 by Rep Beryl Adams Amedee, the Central Bank Digital Currency bill, failed in the House by one vote. The two Republican Representatives absent on Tuesday, Paula Davis and Joe Stagni, could have made a difference had they been there. HB415 passed the House originally with a vote of 97-0, with 8 absent. It only received 69 votes on Tuesday. Why did sooooo many change their vote on Tuesday?

With Reps Edmonston and Amedee at the Louisiana Freedom Caucus event and a few images from Tuesday's Veto Session. Top right: Rep Edmonston watching the vote on HB399 as it receives 70 votes. Bottom row: Reps Edmonston and Farnum working to correct his vote on HB182.

Friends, thank you for your advocacy during this legislative session!! Our partners at Stand for Health Freedom informed us that we had over 70,000 “actions” taken by our Louisiana health freedom family - THANK YOU!!!

We will try again next year when we have a new legislature and a new governor!! This gives us much to work with on the campaign trail. Ask every political candidate you meet: do you support health freedom, voluntary informed consent, and product liability?

Undoubtedly, we know we can trust those legislators who have proven to be faithful in their efforts to protect your health freedom over the years: Representatives Beryl Amedee, Larry Bagley, Stewart Cathey, Raymond Crews, Michael Echols, Kathy Edmonston, Mike Fesi, Gabe Firment, Larry Frieman, Brett Geymann, Valarie Hodges, Dodie Horton, Caleb Kleinpeter, Danny McCormick, Patrick McMath, Blake Miguez, Beth Mizell, Jay Morris, Chuck Owen, Alan Seabaugh, Phillip Tarver, and Mark Wright.

#VoteHealthFreedom2023 #BeBraver

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