FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — As Kentuckians wait to see what's next in the saga of Senate Bill 150, LGBTQ allies drove from city to city in what they called a "Caravan for Compassion" urging legislators not to override Governor Andy Beshear's veto.
Doug Price is a member of Progress Kentucky and participated in the caravan. He said he's concerned about how access to healthcare will change for his trans granddaughter and other Kentucky children.
"I have a personal interest in this. If this law is not, if the legislature doesn't override the veto, the law that goes into effect tells a trans child like my granddaughter that she can receive no medical treatment," he said.
The American Medical Association has urged state legislatures not to restrict access to gender transition-related care for minors, citing studies that showed trans children who received treatment showed decreased rates of suicide attempts.
"There's no question that it is a bill that may lead to suicides, and if that happens, that's going to be on the shoulders of the Republican Party of Kentucky," Price said.
As the LGBTQ allies urge the legislature to let the veto stand, supporters of the bill, like David Walls of The Family Foundation, take the opposite view.
"Frankly, we find it very troubling that Governor Beshear has refused to protect Kentucky's children and their parents from these radical, highly politicized ideologies that are being pushed in education and unfortunately, harmful medical interventions that are targeting children," Walls said.
The state legislature returns next week. The Republican majority on both the house and senate could overrule Beshear's veto.
As Kentuckians wait to see what's next in the saga of Senate Bill 150, LGBTQ allies drove from city to city in what they called a "Caravan for Compassion" urging legislators not to override Governor Andy Beshear's veto.
Doug Price is a member of Progress Kentucky and participated in the caravan. He said he's concerned about how access to healthcare will change for his trans granddaughter and other Kentucky children.
"I have a personal interest in this. If this law is not, if the legislature doesn't override the veto, the law that goes into effect tells a trans child like my granddaughter that she can receive no medical treatment," he said.
The American Medical Association has urged state legislatures not to restrict access to gender transition-related care for minors, citing studies that showed trans children who received treatment showed decreased rates of suicide attempts.
"There's no question that it is a bill that may lead to suicides, and if that happens, that's going to be on the shoulders of the Republican Party of Kentucky," Price said.
As the LGBTQ allies urge the legislature to let the veto stand, supporters of the bill, like David Walls of The Family Foundation, take the opposite view.
"Frankly, we find it very troubling that Governor Beshear has refused to protect Kentucky's children and their parents from these radical, highly politicized ideologies that are being pushed in education and unfortunately, harmful medical interventions that are targeting children," Walls said.
The state legislature returns next week. The Republican majority on both the house and senate could overrule Beshear's veto.
