Midwest

'It is abusive': Iowa AG rips leading pediatric group for not 'following the science' for trans youth

Published

2 years ago

September 28, 2024

'It is abusive': Iowa AG rips leading pediatric group for not 'following the science' for trans youth

EXCLUSIVE: Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is doubling down on her calls for the country’s leading pediatric association to update its guidelines for transgender youth to include warnings about the risks of puberty blockers and other hormone treatments.

Bird said the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) “is involved in children’s healthcare in Iowa and all around the country, and we want them to update their policies right now.”

“They say that puberty blockers are safe for kids and that it’s reversible, and the science doesn’t support that it’s irreversible and causes permanent changes to children should they change their mind later,” Bird, who joined a letter signed by 20 state attorneys general this week to the AAP, said.

‘ABUSIVE’: PEDIATRICIAN GROUP’S SUPPORT FOR TRANS THERAPIES REBUKED BY STATE AGS

Iowa attorney general Brenna Bird speaks during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/AFP) (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images))

On Tuesday, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador sent a letter Tuesday to the AAP accusing the organization of abandoning “its commitment to sound medical judgment.” Bird, along with AGs from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Utah, as well as the president of the Arizona Senate and the speaker of the Arizona state House of Representatives, signed the letter.

“That halt on what is fairly described as medical experimentation on children is long overdue – particularly since the majority of children initially diagnosed with gender dysphoria desist and ‘grow out’ of the condition by the time they are adolescents or adults,” the letter reads. “It is abusive to treat a child with biologically altering drugs that have an unknown physiological trajectory and end point. It is also inhumane to endorse such experimentation without a confident safety profile, especially if more times than not, it proves to be medically unnecessary.”

BIDEN SLAMMED ON SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER ANNOUNCING TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY ON EASTER SUNDAY

AAP is one of the leading pediatrics groups in the U.S. (iStock)

As procedures for transgender youth have become a hot button issue in the culture wars, it’s an issue that former President Trump has vowed to address by restricting the accessibility of procedures to minors. Meanwhile, VP Kamala Harris’ stance is unclear, but the Biden-Harris administration backtracked earlier this year and said it supports overturning bans on sex change surgeries for children.

According to unsealed documents published over the summer, health officials in the Biden administration successfully pressured the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) to omit the age limit in its guidelines for transgender surgical procedures for adolescents.

“I think there’s a clear difference between the candidates,” Bird said. “And here is just another example of Vice President Harris blindly following the liberal, progressive party line. And here, President Trump has the science, he has the facts and is supportive of the science here.”

BIDEN OFFICIALS PUSHED TO DROP AGE LIMIT ON TRANS SURGERIES FOR MINORS: REPORT

AAP supports “gender-affirming care.” (Allison Dinner/AFP via Getty Images)

Last year, the AAP recommitted its pledge to support “gender-affirming care” and expanded its guidelines for pediatricians to “ensure young people get the reproductive and gender-affirming care they need and are seen, heard and valued as they are,” AAP CEO Mark Del Monte said at the time.

AAP has published several reports on reaffirming transgender youth in their preferred gender identities. In January, the AAP published a report titled, “Prohibition of Gender-Affirming Care as a Form of Child Maltreatment: Reframing the Discussion,” which claimed that many bills aimed at restricting transgender treatments for children lead to poor mental health.

Fox News Digital has reached out to AAP for comment.

Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.

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Iowa

Iowa’s governor and her family on weeklong tour of Iowa tourist sites – Radio Iowa

Published

2 minutes ago

July 1, 2026

Press Room

Iowa’s governor and her family on weeklong tour of Iowa tourist sites – Radio Iowa

Governor Kim Reynolds, her husband and five of their grandchildren stopped in Mason City this morning to get a look at the city’s new bike park.

“This is a great example of Destination Iowa funds,” Reynolds said, “I think they received $4.5 million, and the partnerships is how we get things like this done.”

Starting in 2023, Governor Reynolds used federal pandemic relief dollars to create the Destination Iowa program to invest in infrastructure, like airports, and boost locations to attract tourists and new Iowa residents and legislators have provided state tax dollars to continue the program. Reynolds said an Iowa Economic Development Authority survey shows the value of the program. “It really pointed out that when people come here from out of state and if they love the experience, they really are more likely to move here and become a resident,” Reynolds said.

The Reynolds family is making a week long tour around the state, visiting outdoor destinations and attractions to draw attention to the governor’s June 8 executive order that established an Iowa Office of Outdoor Recreation. “It’ll partner with tourism, it’ll really highlight all of the great amenities that we have in this state and really drive people to the state,” Reynolds said.

This is day three of the Reynolds’ family road trip. Yesterday they hiked in the Loess Hills and stopped at the West Bend Grotto. The governor said her grandkids were excited this morning as they drove into Mason City’s new bike park. “The whole Winnebago was full of the wow factor,” Reynolds said. “They were lined up on the windows and they were like pointing stuff out and we about tripped over each trying to get out the door so they could get out there and experience it.”

The Prairie Rock Trails Bike Park features wood boardwalks, jumps, and several single-track routes for riders of varying ages and skill levels. It connects riders to more than 20 miles of trails and 600 acres of scenic parkland.

(By Bob Fisher, KGLO, Mason City)

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Kansas

New mural to be unveiled Thursday afternoon in North Topeka

Published

7 minutes ago

July 1, 2026

Press Room

New mural to be unveiled Thursday afternoon in North Topeka

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – A new mural under the Kansas Avenue Memorial Bridge will be unveiled Thursday afternoon in North Topeka.

A ceremony celebrating the mural will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, July 2 under the bridge near Veterans Park, 131 N.E. Laurent St.

The finished mural, titled “Reflections of North Topeka,” is the culmination of a project that brought together artists, students, volunteers, local leaders and community members to create a lasting tribute to the history and spirit of North Topeka.

A new mural under the Kansas Avenue Memorial Bridge will be unveiled at 4 p.m. Thursday near Veterans Park, 131 N. Laurent St. in North Topeka.(Submitted)

“Over the past several months, the bridge has been transformed into a vibrant outdoor gallery that tells the story of our community,” organizers said in a news release. “From the area’s Indigenous roots and the Kaw Nation to the development of Eugene, the growth of North Topeka, and the revitalization of today’s NOTO Arts & Entertainment District, the mural celebrates the people, places, and events that shaped our community.

“What makes this mural truly special is the community behind it. More than 90 volunteers helped paint this project, proving that when people come together with a shared vision, incredible things can happen.”

The celebration will include:

The official unveiling of the completed mural
A brief program with remarks from the mural team
A ceremonial ribbon cutting
An opportunity to meet the artists and learn about the stories behind the artwork
Complimentary refreshments

Led by Project Manager and NOTO Arts Administrator Staci Schnacker, lead artist Zandra Sneed-Dawkins, and supporting artists DeAna Morrison, Jordan E. Brooks, and Pradeep K. Bangalore, “this mural is more than public art,” organizers said — “it’s a celebration of the people, places, and history that make North Topeka unique.

This project was supported in part through the National Endowment for the Arts, ArtsConnect Topeka, the City of Topeka, Shawnee County Parks + Recreation, and many other community partners, businesses, artists, and volunteers.

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