MSNBC’s Jose Diaz-Balart and Yamiche Alcindor took aim at an Alabama law on Wednesday that would prohibit giving hormone treatment and puberty blockers to those under the age of 19, portraying such things as simple medical care.
Diaz-Balart came out of commercial break swinging, “The ACLU and other groups are suing Alabama on behalf of two families who say a new law criminalizing health care for trans young people will be devastating for their children. Alabama the first state to make it a felony to provide gender-affirming care to transgender or non-binary youth under the age of 19.”
He then introduced Alcindor and asked what she else she has learned about the law. Alcindor also came out repeating the verbiage of the activists, “Well, Alabama has passed the most restrictive and punitive law as it relates to providing gender-affirming medical care to young people.”
Alcindor then set up two video clips, one with State Rep. Wes Allen who was one of the sponsors of the legislation and Harleigh Walker, a 15-year old on puberty blockers.
While Alcindor let Allen say his piece, after the clips it was clear whose side she was on:
Now, Harleigh is on puberty blockers and she says that if she has to lose her care, if she loses her care, that she would consider moving out of Alabama, that would mean separating herself from her brother who is serving in the Alabama National Guard and has to remain in Alabama. Her family also says it would be detrimental to Harleigh and so many other transgender youths because they feel targeted by this bill. Now, there are already two lawsuits moving through the courts. The ACLU says that this a violation of these young people's constitutional rights.”
As for recapping the pro-side of the argument, Alcindor underwhelmingly declared that “supporters of this bill say that this is what’s needed for this state.”
If MSNBC’s progressive viewers weren’t already opposed to the law, Alcindor then informed them it is actually gets worse:
I should also note that this bill does not only target medical care, it also is telling schools that students have to use the bathrooms that are assigned to the gender that they were assigned at birth and also it says that schools have to limit what they talk about as it relates to gender and sexual orientation and that parents have to be notified if a student is saying they are transgender or questioning their gender and it’s in some ways they say, these families, that--that’s--, all of that makes it hard for transgender youth who are already vulnerable and always susceptible to having suicidal thoughts.
Maybe for his Thursday show, Diaz-Balart can get a biologist to explain to them that gender is not something that is assigned at birth.
This segment was sponsored by E-Trade.
Here is a transcript for the April 13 show:
MSNBC Jose Diaz-Balart Reports
4/13/2022
10:56 PM ET
JOSE DIAZ-BALART: The ACLU and other groups are suing Alabama on behalf of two families who say a new law criminalizing health care for trans young people will be devastating for their children. Alabama the first state to make it a felony to provide gender-affirming care to transgender or non-binary youth under the age of 19. NBC’s Yamiche Alcindor is reporting on this. Yamiche, great to see you. What did you learn today?
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Well, Alabama has passed the most restrictive and punitive law as it relates to providing gender-affirming medical care to young people. The state is saying it is going to be punishable by up to ten years in prison for doctors and nurses who provide this medical care. I've been talking to both people who support the bill and people who are against it. One of the sponsors, Wes Allen, a lawmaker here, he tells me this is about protecting children and that this is about making sure that people don't make decisions to take any sort of medical care until they are 19 years old, but I also talked to Harleigh Walker, a 15-year-old transgender girl who said the care that she's receiving is completely important to her life, that it is critical to her living the life as the person that she believes that she is, a woman, a young girl. Here's what both of them had to say.
WES ALLEN: We just don't believe their minds are really ready to make the decision about the lasting effects of these powerful medications. And if, when they get to be 19, if they want to make the decision to go and take these medications and to go through the surgery, that's an adult decision made by adults. We're looking to help them flourish and to help them be happy and to accept their body and their sex.
HARLEIGH WALKER: It's meant so much to me to get this care and it's almost saved me. Just like any other medication, I need this for my physical and mental health and so to hear politicians who have no medical experience whatsoever, who probably haven't even known what gender affirming-care is until the past year or so, just to hear them say they're not qualified makes no sense to me because I've had a team of five or six different doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, endocrinologists, pediatricians tell me, this is your journey, and this what you need to do and you're fully qualified for this.
ALCINDOR: Now, Harleigh is on puberty blockers and she says that if she has to lose her care, if she loses her care, that she would consider moving out of Alabama, that would mean separating herself from her brother who is serving in the Alabama National Guard and has to remain in Alabama. Her family also says it would be detrimental to Harleigh and so many other transgender youths because they feel targeted by this bill. Now, there are already two lawsuits moving through the courts. The ACLU says that this a violation of these young people's constitutional rights.Of course, supporters of this bill say that this is what’s needed for this state. There's a lot to talk about here, a lot going on. I should also note that this bill does not only target medical care, it also is telling schools that students have to use the bathrooms that are assigned to the gender that they were assigned at birth and also it says that schools have to limit what they talk about as it relates to gender and sexual orientation and that parents have to be notified if a student is saying they are transgender or questioning their gender and it’s in some ways they say, these families, that--that’s--, all of that makes it hard for transgender youth who are already vulnerable and always susceptible to having suicidal thoughts. So, all a lot to talk about here, Jose.
