NW Valley Times

U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-8) said performing so-called "gender affirming" or "transition" surgeries is "child abuse" and should never be considered for any minor. 

"NO ONE under the age of 18 should receive these unnecessary, life-altering, and DANGEROUS surgeries," Lesko said in a post on X. "It’s child abuse."

The Supreme Court has announced that it will join the debate of whether states should be allowed to ban gender assignment treatments and care for individuals under the age of 18. According to an article from the Washington Post, the justices will hear a case on the Tennessee state law which bans puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sex-transition surgeries for individuals under the age of 18. 

The state has been fighting to be able to enforce their law, and won in a federal appeals court, after which the Justice Department appealed to the Supreme Court, who agreed to hear the case. The Justice Department is arguing such a law is discrimination against transgender youth, while Tennessee, along with the American Civil Liberties Union, is arguing that such treatments are damaging to minors' health and safety. 

The Supreme Court will start hearing the case in October, 2024, and is expected to continue well into 2025. 

Debbie Lesko is currently serving in the U.S. Congress, representing Arizona’s 8th district. She replaced previous U.S Congress member Trent Franks in 2018. She previously served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2009 to 2015, on the Arizona Senate from 2015 to 2018.

Lesko graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a BA. She was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 1958, and currently lives in Peoria.