On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to debate the transgender bill, HB 419, on the house floor. I just wanted to share the remarks I made in support of the legislation. This week the bill was perfected, third read, and sent to the senate where we are demanding it be brought up for a vote.
My grandfather, who was like a father to me, was born in 1899. At that time the majority of people in our community were Democrats. Back then, the Democrats were pro-life, and fought for the Second Amendment and family values. Protection of children was one of their top priorities.
Today, Democrats do not believe in any of these values. There may be a few, I hope, on the other side who will vote to protect our children from operations that may destroy their lives forever.
This bill will prohibit anyone under 18 years of age from undergoing genital mutilation. Some people think parents should be in control of this issue. Parents can’t let their children drive a car or join the military when they are 10 years old, but now they can change the gender of their children? It is just plain wrong on every level. It is wrong by God’s standards, moral standards, any standards. I cannot believe that people would agree to make this decision voluntarily, and it is a shame that some parents are bullied into approving this operation for their children. The suicide rate of those who undergo gender transition surgery is 20 times higher than average, according to a major study completed in Sweden between 1973 and 2003. Neither gender can reproduce once the operation is done. (Long-Term Follow-Up of Transsexual Persons Undergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery: Cohort Study in Sweden, published February 2011, PLOS One.org, Cecilia Dhejne, Paul Lichtenstein, Marcus Boman, Anna L. V. Johansson, Niklas Långström and Mikael Landén.)
I am against Senate Bill 49 which we received from the Senate. I acknowledge that the Senate worked for 18 hours and brought us the strongest bill they could. However, it has serious shortcomings. The Senate bill would sunset after four years, and also has a grandfather clause allowing children at any age currently undergoing gender changes to complete them. Despite how much I admire the bill’s sponsor, the amendments to this bill just make it terrible. If we want to protect our kids forever, why should we have a four-year sunset?
Now that the Senate has the House bill, we are hopeful they will adopt our plan to protect children. I urge every person in the state of Missouri to contact Senate leadership and tell them to take up and pass HB 419. Something has to get done, and will get done if people demand passage of our bill.
On another issue, I want to make sure you are aware of an EPA proposal that could be a significant threat to affordable energy in Missouri. The Biden administration is trying to force a Federal Implementation Plan for the “Good Neighbor” cross-state air pollution rule on our state, after unilaterally rejecting the State Implementation Plan put forward by the Public Service Commission. With this, the EPA is effectively trying to regulate our energy industry and mandate harsh changes that will likely cause the early closure of several power plants, increasing energy prices and straining our electric grid. I hope that Attorney General Andrew Bailey will file a lawsuit to challenge the Biden administration’s power grab and protect Missouri families’ access to affordable power.
May God bless and keep you and our great nation.
Hardy Billington represents District 152, which includes Butler County.