Authorized statements from Annette Martínez Orabona, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, regarding the approval of Senate Bill 350

Authorized statements from Annette Martínez Orabona, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, regarding the approval of Senate Bill 350:

"The ACLU strongly rejects the approval of a measure that not only criminalizes mothers, fathers, and doctors but directly discriminates against transgender people and denies the existence of trans children and youth, whose lives may even be in danger. This measure also creates two distinct categories of children in Puerto Rico: one that allows parents to access and authorize treatments if the child's identity aligns with the sex assigned at birth, and another that prohibits parents the same right if their child's identity is different. The bill ignores evidence and cases in Puerto Rico that exemplify that the use of gender-affirming treatments in minors is a decision accompanied by a battery of doctors and specialists who recommend that such action is in the child's best interest and supports the optimal development of their whole self."