“It is not healthcare to cut off the private parts of a child,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) reemphasized over the weekend as far-left activists grieve over some of the actions the Florida legislature passed to protect children from radical gender ideology.
“It is not healthcare to cut off the private parts of a child – that is mutilation. We are standing up against that,” DeSantis said on Sunday, sharing a clip from his Friday press conference as he marked the final day of the legislative session and touted the state lawmakers’ accomplishments.
“When you talk to people — and I know like people in your industry will dress it up with a euphemism and they’ll say it’s health care to cut off the private parts of a 14 or 15 year old — that is not health care. That is mutilation,” DeSantis said.
“When we’re standing up against that,” DeSantis said before he was interrupted by applause before continuing. “When we’re standing up against that, we’re protecting these kids.”
The governor listed examples of individuals who went through the transition as minors and now say it is the “biggest regret of their life.”
“They feel like that they were manipulated. I understand there’s some physicians that are very ideological about it, but the fact is people go through a lot when they’re teenagers. You grow out of it most of the time in these situations,” he said, noting that 80 to 90 percent “resolves by the time you get there.”
“Sweden, these European countries that went down this road have done a big U-turn. They said this is not good, medical practice and so they don’t do it anymore,” he continued, explaining that this would not have even been controversial even ten years ago.
DeSantis listed off some of the actions the legislature took to protect minors from this kind of mutilation.
“The legislature prohibited doing things like double mastectomies. They prohibited doing things, you know, with male private parts that are very graphic. They prohibited pumping these minors with puberty blockers, which is just not something that’s appropriate,” he explained, identifying those moves as “appropriate guard rails.”
This is far from the first time DeSantis has spoken out against radical gender ideology being forced upon children, responding to President Biden after the 80-year-old commander-in chief criticized the Sunshine State for protecting children from this ideology.
“What’s going on in Florida is, as my mother would say, close to sinful. It’s just terrible what they’re doing,” Biden said during an appearance on The Daily Show, essentially suggesting that it is “cruel” to protect children from transgender surgeries.
“It is not ‘sinful’ to prohibit the mutilation of minors. It is not acceptable for the federal government to mandate that procedures like sex change operations be allowed for kids,” DeSantis responded.
A recent Washington Post-KFF poll found that most, 57 percent, believe gender is based on sex assigned at birth.
WATCH DeSantis’s full press conference below:
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