Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation.” This order, which follows the common sense essence of the Presidential Promise to American Women, which the President was eager to sign, is supported by most Americans.

Here is what the Policy and Purpose read:

Across the country today, medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child’s sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions.  This dangerous trend will be a stain on our Nation’s history, and it must end.

Countless children soon regret that they have been mutilated and begin to grasp the horrifying tragedy that they will never be able to conceive children of their own or nurture their children through breastfeeding.  Moreover, these vulnerable youths’ medical bills may rise throughout their lifetimes, as they are often trapped with lifelong medical complications, a losing war with their own bodies, and, tragically, sterilization.

Accordingly, it is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called “transition” of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures.

The order also addresses the junk science that has spurred much of this unscientific movement:

Ending Reliance on Junk Science.  (a)  The blatant harm done to children by chemical and surgical mutilation cloaks itself in medical necessity, spurred by guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), which lacks scientific integrity.  In light of the scientific concerns with the WPATH guidance:

(i)   agencies shall rescind or amend all policies that rely on WPATH guidance, including WPATH’s “Standards of Care Version 8”; and

(ii)  within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall publish a review of the existing literature on best practices for promoting the health of children who assert gender dysphoria, rapid-onset gender dysphoria, or other identity-based confusion.

(b)  The Secretary of HHS, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, shall use all available methods to increase the quality of data to guide practices for improving the health of minors with gender dysphoria, rapid-onset gender dysphoria, or other identity-based confusion, or who otherwise seek chemical or surgical mutilation.

The order makes sure no money is going to radical groups promoting these experiments on children. It orders the Secretary of HHS to implement the directive via Medicare and Medicaid. It addresses the problem in the Department of Defense through Tricare.

Finally, it directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prioritize protections against female genital mutilation and the misuse of drugs, promotes the development of a private right of action for parents and children to be able to sue when they are harmed by radical doctors and abused medicines, and targets states actively trying to circumvent the law. It directs the DOJ to “prioritize investigations and take appropriate action to end child-abusive practices by so-called sanctuary States that facilitate stripping custody from parents who support the healthy development of their own children, including by considering the application of the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act and recognized constitutional rights.”

This is an excellent win for families and children. Let us continue to pray for the Administration as they now turn to implement such a vital directive while dealing with a bureaucracy that constantly tries to undermine the good, common-sense policies Americans support.