Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who vetoed a bill that bans minors from taking puberty-blocking hormones but was overridden by the Arkansas legislature last week, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that those in the Republican Party who opposed his position would lead to a “narrow party that expresses ourself in intolerant ways.”
“The act itself, prohibits minors from receiving hormones, puberty blockers and transition-related surgeries,” NPR noted in reference to the bill. “Health care providers who offered such care could lose their license to practice in the state or be vulnerable to civil litigation.”
Hutchinson defended the veto in an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who described giving puberty blockers as equivalent to “chemical castration.” Hutchinson stated, “This bill was over-broad; it was extreme; it went far beyond what you just said. And I made it clear that if this was about prohibiting procedures, sex reassignment surgery, absolutely I would have signed that bill.”
“This is the first law in the nation that invokes the state in medical decisions, parents who consent to that, and the decision of the patient,” he continued. “And so this goes way too far and, in fact, it doesn’t even have a grandfather clause that those young people that are under hormonal treatments, they would have to be cut off from it.”
On “State of the Union,” Hutchinson doubled down, asserting, “While I’m also a social conservative, I do believe we have to balance that with the important question, is this a fight that government needs to get in, or is this a role of the church, or is this — is this the restraint of government that we need to not only preach, but to practice as well? And that led me to the veto that you described. It’s a conservative position to say, that’s not the role of government. It is compassionate to say, we care for all our young people. Whether they’re trans youth or otherwise, we care for them. And that’s the message of compassion and conservatism that we need to have as a party.”
Tapper asked, “What do you make of the blowback you have received from the Republican Party?”
“Well, any time you go against the grain, you’re going to get that kind of blowback,” Hutchinson answered. “I think it’s healthy for our society, I think it’s helpful for our party to have that kind of vigorous debate about an important issue. And, to me, this is about the future of our party. Are we going to be a narrow party that expresses ourself in intolerant ways, or are we going to be a broad-based party that shows conservative principles, but also compassion in dealing with some of the most difficult issues that parents face, that individuals face?”
“And, at some point, I had to say I have got to remind my wonderful Republican colleagues that we are the party of Ronald Reagan that believes in a limited role of government,” Hutchinson continued. “And let’s just ask that question. Sure, I’m — I signed pro-life bills and I know that there’s a role for government even in the social issues, but we have to fundamentally ask ourselves, do we need to do this? Is there a better way? Is this something that we need to leave to the hand in the home or in the church, our faith leaders to handle? Is this calling out for a government solution? We’re fighting that in Washington. Let’s fight it also in our state capitals and within — and fight for the principles of our party.”
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson: "Are we going to be a narrow party that expresses ourselves in intolerant ways, or are we going to be a broad-based party that shows conservative principles but also compassion…" https://t.co/D909UMHjt5 pic.twitter.com/Gl1M3VAsGd
— The Hill (@thehill) April 11, 2021
