KS governor vetoes bill to protect kids from harmful, risky procedures
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Matt Sharp, director of the ADF Center for Public Policy, regarding Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto Tuesday of SB 63, a law that protects children from the administration of life-altering sex-related surgeries, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormones and affirms the biological reality of sex as male and female:
“We are disappointed by Gov. Kelly’s veto of SB 63, a law that protects vulnerable kids from radical gender ideology. By vetoing this critical legislation, Gov. Kelly ignored biological reality and the growing body of evidence about the damage that these drugs and surgeries inflict on children’s minds and bodies. Now and always, children who experience discomfort with their sex need the loving embrace of family, not risky drugs and life-altering procedures that send them down a one-way path of lifetime medicalization. We hope the Kansas Legislature will put the state’s children first and promptly override this veto.”
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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ABOUT Matt Sharp
Matt Sharp serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he is the director of the Center for Public Policy. In this role, he leads ADF's team of policy experts as they craft legislation and advise government officials on policies that promote free speech, religious freedom, parental rights, and the sanctity of human life. Since joining ADF in 2010, Sharp has authored federal and state legislation, regularly provides testimony and legal analysis on how proposed legislation will impact constitutional freedoms, and advises governors, legislators, and state and national policy organizations on the importance of laws and policies that protect First Amendment rights. He has twice testified before the U.S. Congress on the importance of protecting free speech and religious liberty in federal law. Sharp also authored an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of nearly 9,000 students, parents, and community members asking the court to uphold students’ right to privacy against government intrusion. Sharp earned his J.D. in 2006 from the Vanderbilt University School of Law. A member of the bar in Georgia and Tennessee, he is also admitted to practice in several federal courts.