Month: March 2023

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Help, Not Harm Bill Heads To The Governor’s Desk!

We have some good news to share with you today. The Help, Not Harm bill (SB 480) has passed the Indiana House of Representatives and should soon be headed to the governor’s desk.  Rather than helping to heal the minds of young people struggling with gender confusion, medical activists in Indiana are destroying their bodies. This bill would protect minors from these gruesome and dangers practices and help parents who are bullied into consenting. 

When most Hoosiers think of the Hippocratic Oath, they think of their medical providers vowing to “First, do no harm”. However, activists in gender “healthcare” right here in Indiana have forgotten this core principle. In Indiana, Planned Parenthood, three major hospitals (including Riley Children’s Hospital), and other medical providers offer puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and/or surgeries to minors.  They bully parents into consenting by falsely claiming that their children will commit suicide if these harmful and expensive procedures are refused. 

Our heart is to protect kids. Gender dysphoria is a rising issue even in conservative states, with some studies saying that referrals to gender clinics tripled between 2017 and 2021. Minors who are often struggling with unresolved trauma and mental illness, are being sterilized and having irreversible damage done to their bodies by medical activists who should know better.

The Help, Not Harm bill would protect children from these lifelong harms, punish medical activists who try to take advantage of these kids, and provide these young people and their parents with the ability to hold those who harm them accountable in a court of law. 

By selecting the March 21st hearing at this link, you can watch the testimony for this particular bill. IFI plays a critical role in organizing and advocating for bills like the Help, not Harm bill during each legislative session. Through our efforts, we ensure that the voices of Hoosier citizens are heard throughout the legislative process.

You can help support these efforts by urging the Governor to sign the bill into law. Please, take a moment and reach out to let him know you want him to sign the Help, Not Harm bill into law. If you click here, we have made it easy.

Your support and action are crucial to ensuring that this bill becomes law and protects the health and wellbeing of Indiana’s children.

Thank you for your continued support of this vital legislation.

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Blog

We’re halfway there! 2023 Mid-Session Recap

As we reach the halfway point of the 2023 Legislative Session in Indiana, we are proud to continue representing you and advocating for our shared values. Thanks to your unwavering support, we’ve already achieved significant victories in our efforts to protect Hoosier families. Our team has testified on several crucial bills, and we would like to share an update on three that we have been closely monitoring.

First, the Help, Not Harm Bill (SB 480), has passed its third reading in the Senate and is now on its way to the House. If passed, this bill will prohibit doctors from performing gender-affirming procedures such as hormone therapy or surgery on minors.

We don’t want to lose the incredible momentum we have right now! It is a critical time in our ability to represent you, and we need your support more than ever. Please, take a moment and reach out to your representatives and let them know you want them to vote YES on theHelp,NotHarmbill. If you click here, we have made it easy.

HB 1407 has also passed its third reading, but in the House. It is now on its way to the Senate. This bill strengthens parental rights by clearly stating that they are fundamental and that parents cannot have their children removed from their care simply because they refuse to affirm their child as anything other than their biological sex.

If we do not take legislative action, episodes that call into question the importance of the natural family and its authority will repeat and worsen over time. This billis incredibly important to help solve this problem. You can reach out to your representatives and let them know you want them to vote YES on HB 1407 here.

Lastly, HB 1608, which prohibits teaching human sexuality topics to students in kindergarten through third grade passed its third reading in the House and is on its way to the Senate. HB 1346, which includes provisions that prohibit schools from requiring teachers to use pronouns or titles that do not align with a student’s biological sex, was amended into the bill. If you would like to learn more, you can listen to our testimony in favor of this bill here. Select the February 20th meeting and IFI testimony is at 3:28:45.

We will continue to monitor these bills and keep you updated on developments. If you’re interested in reviewing the roll call votes for any of the discussed bills, you can find that information below:

HB 480: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2023/bills/senate/480#document-92147f92

HB 1407: https://iga.in.gov/documents/639ca24c

HB 1608: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2023/bills/house/1608#document-e73988c5

We are deeply grateful for your prayers, commitment to responding to our Action Alerts, and your generous financial support of our organization. As we enter the second half of this legislative session, we are filled with hope and optimism knowing that we are working together towards meaningful change in our communities. Thank you again for being an essential part of this mission.

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