Much political drama has surrounded Louisiana's House Bill 648, or the "Stop Harming Our Kids Act," in recent months. The protection for minors from gender manipulation treatments was vetoed by a Republican senator in late May, causing it to die in committee. But it was revived and passed the second time through.
A month later, Governor Jon Bell Edwards (D) vetoed the measure, saying, among other criticisms, its language was unconstitutionally vague. But on Tuesday, lawmakers overrode that veto.
The day before that vote, Gene Mills, president of the Louisiana Family Forum, told "Washington Watch" he believed the override votes were there.
"I think that's a forgone conclusion," he told the radio program. "The governor probably knows that. He's doing what he can to peel off support."
HB 648 deals specifically with gender procedures, including those that would cause sterilization and mutilation. Gov. Edwards has vetoed other bills that addressed election integrity, use of pronouns, discussion of gender identity in schools, and more.
This is the third year in a row that the legislature has called a special session to consider one of his vetoes.
"Edwards is obviously a radical Democrat," comments Jameson Taylor, family policy director for AFA Action. "He governed like a radical Democrat in Louisiana, expanding socialized medicine as one of his first acts in office, and then as one of his last acts in office, siding with the extremist transgender movement to veto this bill."
Taylor says it really boils down to this: There is no longer any middle ground in politics.
"Any politician like Edwards who tells you that they're really just a centrist or a moderate, they're trying to fool you," the policy director asserts. "That's because the Left has gone off the deep end, and that's what we see with Governor Edwards' veto of this bill to protect kids from transgender procedures."
He advises Louisianians to remember that in the upcoming elections.
Republicans have held both chambers of the legislature since 2011, but some lawmakers do not think they should be tasked with protecting minors.
"We don't have the expertise to be weighing in on something like this," Sen. Royce Duplessis (D), who represents parts of New Orleans, recently told WDSU-TV. "We're talking about our most vulnerable youth who are dealing with the severest of mental health issues. Many are contemplating suicide. This is not a priority for the people of Louisiana. We should be focused on education, improving our workforce, and infrastructure."
Considering that and the fact that Gov. Edwards is not running for office again, Taylor says voters need to send conservatives to the legislature and to the governor's office to keep the state on course for conservative and moral values.
Editor's Note: AFA Action is an affiliate of the American Family Association, the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates AFN.net.
