by National House of Prayer
Last week, Danielle Smith announced a proposed ban on gender reassignment surgery for minors in Alberta.
Gender reassignment surgeries involve changing one’s sex, like castrating boys or removing the uterus and breasts for girls. These surgeries are permanent. It’s shocking that in our society, children are undergoing these surgeries to change their biological sex. What’s even more surprising is the resistance Danielle Smith is facing for her policy.
Alberta is the first province in Canada to make this proposal. Additionally, she advocates for parental notification when a child decides to change pronouns or names at school. She has devised a strategy to safeguard girls and women from competing against males in female-only sports divisions. Furthermore, she opposes hormone treatments for individuals under 15 and firmly rejects surgeries for anyone under 18.
In addition to Danielle Smith, Premier Blain Higgs of New Brunswick and Premier Scott Moe of Saskatchewan have likewise implemented a policy requiring parental notification if their children are transitioning in school.
When asked about Smith’s new policy, Prime Minister Trudeau said the following,
“Canadian parents love their kids. We want the very best for them and we want them to be kept safe. LGBT youth across this country are among the most vulnerable to homelessness, to suicide, to a range of things that can harm them. We need to be there to defend them. we need to be there to protect them and I know Canadians across the country are doing just that… As a federal government we will always be there to protect the most vulnerable, particularly vulnerable LGBT youth who need to know that there are people across the country there to fight for them.” He goes on to say that Danielle Smith has now moved forward with the most anti LGBT policies than anywhere else in Canada. He insinuates that the Smith government is fighting against LGBT youth by saying, “If Premier Smith wants to fight someone, stand with us and fight for Canadians on lower grocery prices…”
Philippians 1:9-11 says, “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”
Paul prays for the love of the Philippians to abound more and more but he does not stop there. He prays for that love to be coupled with knowledge and discernment.
Prime Minister Trudeau in the above quote talks about love for kids. He says especially of LGBT youth that we must care for them by defending them and protecting them. Trudeau emphasizes that his government will always be there to fight and protect LGBT youth.
We do need to be there to defend and fight for all Youth, LGBT or not. However, are minors equipped with the capacity to make decisions to alter the course of their lives with no recourse? Moreover, as he begins his statement by saying “Canadian parents love their kids”, should they(parents) not be given the right to help steer those children. Trudeau talks about loving and caring for them as they are vulnerable and I do not disagree. However, I am not convinced that this caring is coupled with knowledge and depth of insight. Is this a love that abounds with discernment? Can we really allow minors to make irreversible alterations to their bodies based on how they feel? What about those who wish to de-transition and must live with the irreversible alterations to their bodies?
In a post on X (formally Twitter), regarding Smith’s announcement for her new gender policies, Lisa Bildy, a lawyer for the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom wrote, “Something that struck me with this speech was how much it sounded like a loving authoritative parent was finally setting boundaries for her unruly children.”
This parental love is tempered with wisdom. Safeguarding our children, regardless of their sexual orientation, involves setting boundaries to ensure their safety. We’ve all encountered situations where a child is permitted unchecked freedom by their parents. It’s never fun, is it?
As parents, we would never permit our children to engage in risky behaviors like playing with fire or playing ball on a busy highway, regardless of their desires. Our love is infused with understanding and judgment. We recognize the potential for harm. So why would any responsible adult consider it wise to allow children to make decisions about their bodies that could not only profoundly alter their lives but also be irreversible?
As we delve deeper into the passage in Philippians, it tells us that overflowing love combined with discernment enables us to select what is truly excellent. Merely loving and caring for our children isn’t enough if we aim to make the optimal choices for them. This love must be accompanied by discernment, leading to purity and clean hands as the outcome.
While our Prime Minister may genuinely care for vulnerable youth, his compassion lacks the essential companion of wisdom. May he have insight into what truly matters in life, enabling him to make prudent choices. Danielle Smith isn’t battling against youths grappling with gender dysphoria; rather, she’s acting out of concern for their tomorrow. Her fight is to safeguard their futures from the potential consequences of prematurely made decisions with lasting implications.
Let us pray for our Prime Minister, asking that divine wisdom be bestowed upon him, complementing the compassion already present in his heart. May this wisdom guide him in crafting policies that prioritize excellence and foster purity just as Paul prayed for the Philippians.
As members of the body of Christ, pray that our love will continue to grow abundantly, enriched with understanding and profound insight, particularly for those who may seek to de-transition and navigate the consequences of their decisions. May we, through our acts of love, effectively guide them toward the Prince of Peace.
May our love overflow for those experiencing gender dysphoria. May we be granted wisdom from Heaven to guide our prayers and provide comforting words. May the truth of His Word, affirming that they are fearfully and wonderfully made, pierce their hearts to bring His peace.
As Paul prayed, may we be filled with the fruit of righteousness. I pray that there would be outward evidence of this inward transformation of Christ in our hearts. May the world see the fruit of the Spirit manifest in us that we may bring glory to our God.