Missouri becomes 22nd state to protect women's sports

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Christiana Kiefer regarding Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s signing Wednesday of SB 39, a bill that protects athletic opportunities for female athletes from grade school to college by ensuring they are not forced to compete against men playing on women’s sports teams:

“Girls deserve equal opportunities to experience the thrill of victory. We commend Missouri for becoming the 22nd state to ensure women and girls can compete on a level playing field. The increasing incidents nationwide of males dominating girls’ athletic competitions demonstrate that when the law ignores biological differences, it’s women and girls who bear the brunt of the harm. In light of the Biden administration’s recent attacks on women’s sports, it’s imperative that states continue to step up and affirm that biology, not identity, is what matters in athletics. We are grateful to Gov. Parson and the Missouri Legislature for enacting these critical protections. Thanks to their strong stand, Missouri’s female athletes from grade school to college will not face the losses that come with allowing males to compete in women’s sports.”

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Matt Sharp, director of the ADF Center for Legislative Advocacy, regarding Parson’s signing Wednesday of SB 49, a bill that protects children from dangerous, life-altering medical procedures:

“Denying the truth that we are either male or female hurts real people, especially vulnerable children. By enacting this legislation, Missouri has taken a critical step toward protecting children and parents from being pressured into so-called ‘gender transition’ surgeries and drugs. Young people deserve to live in a society that doesn’t subject them to risky experiments to which they cannot effectively consent, including life-altering, often-sterilizing surgeries and drugs. That’s why other countries, like Sweden, England, and Finland, are adopting policies that better protect children from the bad science that has already devastated countless lives. We commend Gov. Parson and the Missouri legislature for standing for truth and stopping the injection of political agendas into the health care system by working to protect our children.”

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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