2/14/24 Media Statement for Let Kids Be Kid Hearing: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQfpxAzL5EoA1sw7NaOILDMOjIAEPJdcEOzuyCajblD_dJkg3C7y-0RLMMs04DFTh37t89g_QxIIKAg/pub

 

 

January 24, 2024

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Leslie Wolfgang, Director of Public Policy, 

Family Institute of Connecticut

ppdirector@ctfamily.org

This Thursday, January 25, 2024, the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity will host a panel on “Preventing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in CT: Why Comprehensive Laws Matter” at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.  Connecticut has devoted resources to investigating this issue, including an Office of Legislative Research report dated December 11, 2023.

Family Institute of Connecticut Action urges panelists, the Commission and the Connecticut General Assembly to also reconsider the State’s genital mutilation of  underage girls which it facilitated and paid for through the HUSKY program.  An investigation by Family Institute of Connecticut Action reveals that several underage girls, including a girl as young as 15, have had their genitals removed by the State in a draconian effort to reduce their gender dysphoria.   

“What is good for the goose is good for the gander and everybody in between,” stated Peter Wolfgang, President of Family Institute of Connecticut Action. “To believe that wisdom and informed consent is present for the ‘non-binary’ underage girl who wants her healthy breasts removed but not for the underage girl who wants her private parts altered for custom or ritual reasons is arbitrary.  A law banning one and not the other will be discrimination based on political or narrative preferences,” he continued.

Removal of normal breasts from pubescent girls has not been proven to resolve gender dysphoria long-term. In fact, a New York Times article and studies have indicated that this type of gender mutilation can contribute to increased mortality unless underlying mental health issues are addressed. 

“The State of Connecticut’s funding of the removal of healthy breasts in minor girls suffering from gender dysphoria is simply another form of genital mutilation, even with parental consent. There is no reliable evidence that breast removal or other forms of genital mutilation are effective in the long-term treatment of gender dysphoria, especially in minors who are incapable of giving consent to such permanent procedures,” stated Dr. Jeffrey Barrows, DO, MA (Ethics), Sr. Vice President of Bioethics and Public Policy for the Christian Medical & Dental Associations.