~by Sen Jesse Green
On Tuesday night, the Iowa Senate passed a monumental bill in the line of defending children. No longer can children who are confused about gender or sex go to a doctor, school nurse, or teacher, and explain their confusion and end up being mutilated or sterilized. I am disappointed to see how some news organizations have responded to this bill, which was passed to protect minors from permanent, life-altering surgeries. Some have described it as Republicans “endangering children.” To those same news media, I would offer this opinion: It is cruel to allow someone’s confusion to lead them to attempt to mutilate themselves, and it is cruel for teachers, parents, doctors, and any other bystander to sit by and watch, let alone encourage them to do it. True compassion in these situations would incline these folks to be endlessly kind, understanding, and truthful with these children.
I am extremely proud to say that now in the state of Iowa, vulnerable children who are confused about themselves are now protected. We often hear horror stories about people who medically transition when young, and years later regret that decision and attempt to transition back, but with horrifying repercussions. Many times, advocates for the simple protection of children are labeled as conspiracy theorists for saying we have no medical data showing the long-term effects of using these “puberty blockers” on children. To put this into context, one of the most common “puberty blockers” is a drug called Lupron, which is also used in chemical castration of sexual predators. We are now giving high doses to children to affirm a feeling they have, and this is not only cruel but incredibly heartbreaking to see. But, this will not occur in Iowa anymore. To borrow from Governor Reynolds, in Iowa, we may get up early, but we’re not woke.
When this bill and others like it came up this session, one of the many concerns was that it was an overreach of state authority. While this concern is fair for consideration, I, along with my Republican colleagues in the Senate, made it known that this is a matter of public health, and protecting the children of our state from mutilation and chemical castration was a priority. This bill wasn’t about power, or overstepping boundaries, or anything of that nature. The bill we passed was about love and compassion for the children of our state, and for my district. It truly breaks my heart to see children being put through experimental procedures and drug regimens because adults have led them down this path. Children are often confused about many things! I’m not sure about you, but if I had to live with the consequences of everything I did as a minor, I would be in a world of hurt! It is perfectly natural for children to be confused, and about all sorts of things in their lives. In fact, it is somewhat the point of childhood to be confused, scared, and fearful of what is next. The point of childhood is to experience the world in a protected way, sheltered by parents with an ever-extending leash as you get older and wiser.
Many of my critics mock my belief in God, but I firmly stand by him and pray for every individual who is affected by these harmful procedures. The radical left doesn’t want everyday Iowans to have any knowledge of what’s truly going on regarding radical gender ideology. They want to keep these ideas hidden under a veil of darkness, for now anyways. This bill is the good fight, in the end. I was put in a position to be a warrior and defender of children by circumstance, by my amazing constituents, and by God. I have a job to do in the state Senate, and this year it’s ensuring the children of Iowa are protected and safe. That is a job that I cherish, and one I will never take lightly.
I wanted to reach out to you today to keep you in the loop, and make sure you stay involved and know my thoughts, ideas, and reasoning behind bills and votes, especially ones as consequential as this one. I want every one of my constituents to know that I am always here for them. I’m a public servant, and I am here to be a resource to you all, whether Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian, and all other ideologies. One of my favorite parts of this work is getting to speak to you all about issues you’re so passionate about, and areas where I can help make lives better. I wanted to leave you with a Bible verse, and this one seemed most fitting today. John 1:4-5 reads, “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.” This verse is so beautiful, and it gives me great hope and faith in the work the Iowa Legislature has done this session. No matter how strong the darkness seems, when we stand with Him, there is no threat so great that we cannot overcome it.
Thank you all and God Bless,
