Maine bill proposes state custody of kids who want trans treatments against parents’ wishes

Outrage is growing as the Maine Legislature has proposed a measure that would allow the state to take custody of minor children for the purposes of transgender sex change treatments.

The bill, titled “An Act to Safeguard Gender-affirming Health Care,” or LD1735, is in the Judiciary Committee which was supposed to meet today about the measure.

But a Maine state Representative told The Lion the meeting has been postponed until Jan. 25.

The bill would allow the state to override decisions of parents about medical care for children, and allow children from out of state to go to Maine for treatment – with the state as the custodial agent making medical decisions.

“This is SICK! Bombard them with emails. This cannot pass,” tweeted journalist Megyn Kelly about the measure. 

Kelly’s screen grab of the bill included the salient text, granting the state authority over the children’s medical decisions. 

“The bill authorizes a court to take temporary jurisdiction because a child has been unable to obtain gender-affirming health care or gender affirming mental health care,” said the text of LD1735. 

The bill specifically prohibits Maine from taking custody of those children whose legal guardian is seeking gender change treatments. 

Former collegiate swimmer, Riley Gaines, a notable critic of transgender ideology, penned a sample email to be sent to Maine’s Judiciary Committee members who are considering the bill.  

DRAFT EMAIL: 

Dear Judiciary Committee Members,  

As a concerned American, I write to urge you to stop the progression and advancement of LD1735, a bill introduced that would permit state government to separate children from their parents over a social issue. This bill would also mean minors could flee to Maine for irreversible chemical and surgical castration.  

The passing of this bill would have severe consequences on families, parental rights, and the safeguarding of children. I urge you to vote “ought not to pass” on LD1735.  

Please advise me of the actions you intend to take with respect to this bill.  

Sincerely,  

[your name] 

The group Courage Is a Habit (CIH) is also taking active measures to defeat the bill.  

They call LD1735 nothing short of a transgender human trafficking bill, aimed at minors.   

The CIH website has several different versions of a protest email and includes all the email addresses of the committee members.  

While media coverage has said the committee was meeting today at 10 a.m. Eastern, notably the Legislature’s official calendar did not include a meeting to discuss LD1735 on a schedule for the seven days starting January 16, 2024. 

Rep. Jennifer Poirier told The Lion that because of an amendment to the bill, the committee has postponed the hearing until Jan. 25 at 3 p.m. 

Alvin Lui, founder of CIH, told The Post Millennial that the bill is “…literally opening up trafficking avenues by inviting children from other states where their parents do not agree to transgender sterilization drugs and mutilating surgeries, and they’re going to welcome these kids in Maine using your taxpayer dollars through Medicaid to pay for these procedures, putting them in foster care, opening them up to vulnerabilities like sex trafficking, like abuse, not to mention the lifelong, irreversible procedures and drugs that the transgender cult promotes.”