Sarah Sanders disagreed with sitting Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, saying that she would have supported a bill in the state to ban transgender medical intervention for minors that he vetoed.
Sanders, the press secretary for former President Donald Trump, is currently running for governor as a Republican. She said that one of the first jobs of a state is to protect its residents. She said during Friday’s Arkansas gubernatorial debate, for that reason, she would have signed into law legislation that would have banned certain “gender-affirming” treatments for youth under age 18, the same legislation that Hutchinson had previously vetoed in April 2021. That veto was overridden by GOP controlled legislature.
“One of the most important, and, frankly, one of the most basic roles of government is to protect the citizens, particularly those who can’t protect themselves, like kids,” Sanders said. “I would have supported this legislation, and I would have signed it, because we have to do a better job of protecting the kids in this state, and frankly across the country. Kids are not capable of making life-altering decisions like that.”
Sanders referenced laws barring those under the age of 16 from driving or under 21 from consuming alcohol, and argued that minors should be unable to make decisions that could permanently alter their bodies, including the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy or surgeries.
Democrat Chris Jones and Libertarian Ricky Harrington Jr., both of whom oppose Sanders, said they would have vetoed the legislation. The bill was set to go into effect before a district judge blocked it, inciting a first-of-its-kind court case in Little Rock.
Trump blasted Hutchinson last year for rejecting the bill while also endorsing Sanders in the race for the governor’s mansion.
“Asa Hutchinson, the lightweight RINO Governor of Arkansas, just vetoed a Bill that banned the CHEMICAL CASTRATION OF CHILDREN,” Trump said in a statement at the time. “‘Bye-bye Asa,’ that’s the end of him! Fortunately for the Great State of Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders will do a fantastic job as your next Governor!”
Sanders also used Friday’s debate to emphasize her readiness to lead the state after Hutchinson exits the role due to state term limits in spite of her lack of experience in elected office.
“The real test of a leader is when they’re challenged with things that they never see coming. I’ve been tested at the highest level of government under the most intense criticism you can possibly imagine, and never once backing down from who I am, or what I believe, but always rising to the moment facing every challenge head-on,” she said, recalling her two years as White House press secretary.
Sanders, the daughter of Mike Huckabee who was governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007, is expected to win the mansion in the election due to Arkansas’s heavy Republican voting tendencies.
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