Legal battle for changing the sex or gender of children in Chile

Since mid-2024, the Congress in Chile has reviewed various regulations regarding the change of sex or “gender reassignment” of children and minors in the country, measures that have not yet been fully defined and that could be resolved this month. of December.

In November, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate approved a rule in the Budget Law to prevent the continued financing of these hormonal and surgical treatments for minors in the public health network, which should come into force in January 2025, but which The government of President Gabriel Boric and 42 deputies have challenged it before the Constitutional Court.

“The Ministry of Health may not finance expenses related to the acquisition, prescription or administration of medications for the purpose of using hormonal therapy, be it puberty blocking or cross-hormonation, which are part of or are in themselves a form of treatment for dysphoria. gender, whether clinically diagnosed or not, in minors,” states the approved text.

“Nor may you incur expenses for personnel, goods and consumer services for sex reassignment operations that are part of or are in themselves a form of treatment for gender dysphoria, whether clinically diagnosed or not, in minors,” it adds. .

Tomás Henríquez, Defense Director for Latin America of ADF Internationalcommented that this approval “sets an important precedent for the protection of children, not only in Chile, but in all Latin American countries. Chile deserves to be praised for having taken an important step to say no to the dangers of gender ideology.”

Gender ideology is a current that considers that biological sex is not determining for the person, but that they can define their sexual orientation and identity according to their preferences and even against their nature.

“Now, other countries must do the same. “Every child is valuable as they are and has the absolute right to be protected from a radical ideology that promotes dangerous medications and surgeries with devastating consequences,” Henríquez added.

Roberto Astaburuaga, from the Community and Justice (C and J) platform — which closely follows the issue — explained that the Boric government “and a group of 42 deputies, both of radical and progressive left tendencies, requested the Constitutional Court” on December 2 “that the rule be declared unconstitutional.”

“If that happens, the public health network would have funding to continue providing this type of treatment to children and young people,” he warned.

A government program with gender ideology

In mid-November and by seven votes to six, the special investigative commission of the Chamber of Deputies approved its report on the cases of minors receiving psychological, hormonal and surgical treatment in the public health network. The text “strongly recommends the immediate suspension of all programs related to the so-called ‘gender transition’ of children,” Astaburuaga highlighted.

The legal expert also told ACI Prensa that the approved document reveals that “between April 2023 and August 2024, more than 2,500 minors have entered the PAIG (also called Grow with Pride), and about 50 are less than 10 years old.”

The Gender Identity Support Program (PAIG) is the embodiment of a “government policy aimed at Chilean minors, between 3 and 17 years old, who express confusion about gender identity,” which ensures that children’s perception does not should be questioned and that it only offers psychological support, indicates the Community and Justice lawyer.

Furthermore, he warns, “the PAIG is the gateway to hormone therapy and allows officials to report parents if they object to their children entering or being referred to it.”

Despite all this, the Senate approved on November 22 that the program continue to be financed by public money, according to the newspaper. The Third.