This post originally appeared at https://wifamilycouncil.org/radio/high-court-agrees-children-need-help-not-harm/
2025 | Week of June 23 | Radio Transcript #1624
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a landmark decision in United States v. Skrmetti, upholding Tennessee’s law that prohibits medical interventions aimed at gender transition for minors. The ruling is not just a win for Tennessee; it is a victory for common sense, parental responsibility, and the protection of vulnerable children across our nation. This decision reinforces a foundational truth: children deserve help, not harm.
Tennessee’s law was challenged by the Biden administration and LGBTQ advocacy groups, who claimed it violated the Equal Protection Clause by discriminating based on sex. The high court rejected that argument in a 6–3 decision, affirming the right of states to regulate medical treatments that carry irreversible consequences, especially when those treatments are administered to children. In doing so, the Court confirmed that laws like Tennessee’s are constitutionally sound and morally grounded.
This ruling couldn’t be more timely or more relevant to us in Wisconsin. In the last legislative session, the Wisconsin legislature passed the “Help Not Harm” bill, which similarly protects gender-confused minors from receiving puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or so-called gender-transition surgeries. While Governor Evers vetoed the bill, the Skrmetti ruling gives us every reason to advance this legislation with renewed confidence and resolve. Earlier this year, the State Assembly passed a good Help Not Harm bill, which is now waiting action in the Senate. Assuming the Senate passes it, Governor Evers should sign it given this court ruling and the fact that he has deemed this year the “Year of the Kid.”
At its core, this case is about safeguarding children. No child, no matter how confused or distressed, should be subjected to experimental medical procedures that have lifelong, often irreversible, consequences. These treatments are not benign. Puberty blockers disrupt normal development. Cross-sex hormones can lead to infertility, sexual dysfunction, and cardiovascular problems. Surgeries remove healthy body parts. These interventions do not address the root of a child’s struggles—they only mask symptoms, often deepening emotional distress in the long run.
The Supreme Court rightly applied rational basis review, recognizing that Tennessee—and by extension, any state—has a legitimate interest in protecting the health and well-being of its citizens, especially minors. Legislatures need only a reasonable basis for their decisions, and protecting children from harm certainly meets that standard.
Critics claim this ruling marginalizes transgender youth. But the truth is, these laws are not about discrimination; they’re about compassion and caution. Children struggling with gender identity deserve our love, support, and help in ways that don’t involve permanently altering their bodies. That’s what the Help Not Harm movement is about. It’s about affirming that minors cannot consent to what they cannot comprehend.
The impact of the Skrmetti decision is already rippling across the nation. As of this ruling, at least 25 states have enacted laws restricting gender-transition procedures for minors. Many of those laws have been tied up in court battles. Now, thanks to this decision, those laws stand on firmer legal ground. That’s not just good news for conservatives; it’s good news for children and families who have felt voiceless in the face of radical gender ideology.
Here in Wisconsin, we must not let this moment pass. We have a responsibility to protect our kids from being used as test cases in a dangerous medical and social experiment. The Senate needs to move the current bill and give Governor Evers the opportunity to do the right thing for our youth.
This is not about politics. It’s about principle. It’s about recognizing that our children are not miniature adults. They need time to grow, to wrestle with their identity in the context of family and faith—not in a clinic with a prescription pad.
Wisconsin Family Council will continue working to educate, equip, and engage citizens across our state on this critical issue. We will tirelessly champion policies that prioritize children’s long-term well-being over fleeting cultural trends. And we will stand with parents, pastors, teachers, and medical professionals who refuse to be bullied into silence.
The Supreme Court got it right in Skrmetti by upholding the right of states to set moral and medical boundaries that protect minors. It rejected the idea that every feeling demands a pharmaceutical or surgical response. And it reaffirmed that when it comes to kids, compassion sometimes means saying “no”—especially when “yes” could lead to lifelong regret.
Those who believe in helping not harming need to press on with clarity, courage, and compassion. Our children deserve no less.
For Wisconsin Family Council, this is Julaine Appling, reminding you that God, through the Prophet Hosea, said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
Haylee Lawver