Danielle Smith believes Alberta UCP policies on trans youth are ‘supportive’
Global News
Alberta's premier stood behind her government's recently announced policies regarding transgender youth, gender-affirming care, sex education and parental notification.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith stood behind her government’s recently announced policies regarding transgender youth, gender-affirming care, sex education and parental notification.
In a news conference Thursday, Smith said she believes the suite of policies and guidelines, announced on Wednesday afternoon through a video shared on social media, “struck the right balance.”
The policy includes a prohibition on gender-affirmation surgery (top and bottom surgeries) for Albertans under 18 years old. It also prohibits puberty blockers and hormone therapy for Alberta youth 15 and under, unless they’ve already started treatment.
“We are supporting kids in their right to make decisions about their own journey at a time when they’re mature enough to make those decisions,” Smith said Thursday.
“Age 16 is when they can begin with hormone therapies and age 18 is when they’ll be able to commence top and bottom surgery.
“We just think that’s the responsible way of approaching this issue so that kids are not precluded from all the future choices that come to them when they decide to make the decision that’s going to have potentially serious ramifications on their reproductive (health).
“So, we think this is preserving of choice.”
Smith said she looked to other jurisdictions while considering these rules. While she said Saturday that the UCP “consulted very broadly” on this issue, she has not said who or what groups or experts were consulted.
