The courts, the doctors, and the legislature all moved this week. More than once, they moved toward parents. Here’s what you may have missed:
Colorado
On Monday, Children’s Hospital Colorado said it would resume pediatric gender medicine to comply with a court order. Then it added this:
Every physician who works at Children’s TRUE Center for Gender Diversity has independently decided not to prescribe or renew puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones for any patient under 18.
The doctors are faculty at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine. They hired their own lawyers before deciding. Their lawyers laid out what has happened to colleagues elsewhere: federal criminal subpoenas in Texas, hospitals revoking their own physicians’ privileges, the Cleveland Clinic agreeing not to provide pediatric gender medicine for 20 years. A judge can order a hospital to list a service. No judge can put a pen in any individual doctor’s hand.
For families who spent years pointing to weak evidence and real harm, the doctors made the call the courts could not. Full story from John Ingold and Jennifer Brown at The Colorado Sun.
California
On June 18, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked enforcement of key sections of California’s SAFETY Act, Assembly Bill 1955. That 2024 law barred school employees from telling parents when a child was socially transitioning at school. The court found the law is likely unconstitutional, relying on the Supreme Court’s March ruling in Mirabelli v. Bonta. California schools can no longer keep that information from parents. Full California Family Council coverage.
Teachers Unions
The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission opened an investigation into the National Education Association on June 22. It follows a 297-page complaint from the Brandeis Center alleging the union stripped Jews from their historical place as the primary victims of the Holocaust in its training materials and distributed maps labeling Israel as “Palestine.”
To understand where teacher union dues actually go, read The Closed Classroom: Part 4.
Technology and Kids
Norway announced a near-total ban on generative AI tools for children ages 6 to 13 on June 19. The country already bans smartphones in schools. The government’s position: children need to learn the fundamentals themselves before AI does it for them.
New York passed S9051B unanimously, 137-0 in the Assembly and 60-0 in the Senate. The bill bars AI companion chatbots from simulating emotional or romantic relationships with minors, using flattery to keep them engaged, or encouraging self-harm. Companies face fines of $25,000 per violation. Maria Raine, whose 16-year-old son Adam died by suicide last April after months of conversations with ChatGPT, has fought hard for this bill. Governor Hochul has until December 31 to sign. Full bill text and summary.
Summer Reading
Now that school is out, the curriculum is in your hands!
The Random House Landmark Books are a good place to start. Nearly 180 volumes of American and world history by writers like Pearl S. Buck, C.S. Forester, and Sterling North. Most are out of print but findable on AbeBooks and ThriftBooks for ten or twenty dollars. Read the original piece and the grade-by-grade list.
For the car, our audiobook series gives you the best children’s books read by people who actually know how to read them aloud: Jim Dale on Harry Potter, Stockard Channing on Ramona, Alfred Molina on Treasure Island, Anne Hathaway on The Wizard of Oz, Richard Burton on The Little Prince.
Send your kids outside with a book, a bike, and time to get bored.
Have a great weekend,
Natalya
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