Alberta MLA urged to apologize for comparing transgender surgery to livestock castration
Listen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.An Alberta legislature member was called on by the Opposition to apologize Thursday after saying the province has a duty to step in to deal with "bad parents" while also comparing transgender surgery to the castration of livestock.Speaking to reporters, Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said United Conservative backbencher Shane Getson should apologize for "comparing human beings to cattle."Nenshi added, "No parent in this province wants the premier or her four health ministers, and now Shane Getson, sitting in the diagnostic room with them."Getson made the remark Wednesday in chamber debate over a bill that uses the Charter's notwithstanding clause to protect a trio of transgender laws from court challenge.One law bans transgender surgery for those under 18 and prohibits drug therapies, such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy, for anyone under 16.Currently, national policy restricts bottom surgery across Canada to those 18 and over, and such procedures don't take place in Alberta. Puberty blockers are considered reversible and hormone therapy is considered partially reversible.2SLGBTQ+ advocates have said the Alberta law is an intolerable infringement on the rights of patients, while doctors say it's a dangerous political intervention in what should be clinical decision-making. You're not going to grow back those parts if you change your mind.- Shane Getson, MLAGetson said using the notwithstanding clause to override rights in this case is necessary because some parents need intervention to prevent them from making decisions that may not be in the best interests of their children.He gave the example of castrating a bull to make it a steer, saying once the animal is a steer, there's no going back."You're not going to grow back those parts if you change your mind," Getson said on the first full day of debate on the bill."If the steer changes his mind, too late; you're a steer."In a statement Thursday, Getson added that using the notwithstanding clause ensures the laws move forward without delay or uncertainty."We cannot allow this legislation to be paused throughout lengthy court proceedings — potentially putting children at risk for years," he said."We will use every legal and constitutional tool available to safeguard the health and well-being of children and strengthen the role of parents as a child's primary caregiver."WATCH | How the notwithstanding clause alters court challenges:On Tuesday the Alberta government used the notwithstanding clause to shield three pieces of transgender legislation from legal challenges. Travis McEwan looks at what may happen to challenges already underway.Premier Danielle Smith's UCP government has been criticized as having a double standard with parental direction over a child's decision-making. The government says parental rights are paramount.Getson told the house that can't be the rule when it comes to some parents."We want to make sure that these kids — God bless them — get to a point of maturity where they can make that decision and that their parents' best intentions — or maybe not, I don't know — don't cause irreparable damage."Smith, in her remarks to the house Wednesday, said the key issue is protecting children from having "medical experiments" performed on them.The debate continued in the house Thursday.NDP MLA Janis Irwin, who is gay, accused Smith's government of stripping away human rights for LGBTQ+ Albertans.She noted Thursday marked Transgender Day of Remembrance, which recognizes those who have died as a result of anti-trans hate and violence.Tanya Fir, minister for arts, culture and the status of women, said the government was protecting children's rights by making sure they can't make adult decisions before they're old enough."Any decisions that would affect an individual's biological sex and possible reproductive abilities in the future, that needs to be made when you're an adult," she said.
