In a recent op-ed article, Rep. Greg Nibert (R-Roswell) sounded the alarm about New Mexico school children, gender identity issues and new legislation. Nibert referred specifically to two bills passed this year: House Bill 7 and Senate Bill 397.<\/p>\n
His article was followed a few days later by an article by Rep. Rod Montoya on the same theme.<\/p>\n
It may be a false alarm.<\/p>\n
HB7 is an anti-discrimination law related to the hot-button issues of reproductive and gender-affirming health care. The language prohibits public entities from discriminating based on these criteria but does not mention schools specifically. SB 397 establishes school-based health centers or SBHCs. This bill could be confusing to some readers because it establishes in law health centers that have existed for years.<\/p>\n
Nibert says these two laws, taken together, \u201cforce public school personnel to help underage children get gender-altering services, such as hormone blockers, gender reassignment surgery, psychotropic medications and abortion services.\u201d<\/p>\n
Montoya\u2019s article says: \u201cThey are encouraging teachers to have discussions with your kids on the very sensitive subjects of family planning, gender surgery and hormone blockers, then referring them to third-party providers without parents knowing anything about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your child\u2019s school has a school-based health center, an adult will likely be having conversations with your kid that have nothing to do with their physical health, but rather gender, identity, sexual practices and who they are having sex with.\u201d<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t see any evidence to support that. After studying the language of these two laws, plus related laws and other documents, and trying to give these arguments the benefit of the doubt, I could not find logical connection from the language of the law to \u201cforcing\u201dor \u201cencouraging\u201d school personnel to do any such thing. There is nothing directing school personnel to proactively do anything. If the school has a health center, any adult will most likely discuss is the student\u2019s health issue, whatever that is.<\/p>\n
The health centers are not operated by the schools but by various health-care-related organizations. New Mexico has had them for 25 years.<\/p>\n
According to analysis by the Legislative Finance Committee, there are 78 SBHCs in New Mexico; 54 are contracted with Department of Health (DOH) Office of School Adolescence Health (OSAH).<\/p>\n
SBHCs are especially important in rural and other medically underserved areas of New Mexico, reaching children who might have no other access to medical services.<\/p>\n
A 2021-2022 report by DOH reported SBHCs provided 42,416 visits to 16,144 patients; 59 percent were for primary care; 12 percent were for well child checks; 34 percent provided behavioral healthcare.<\/p>\n
HB7, one of the bills cited, refers to gender-affirming care, but, again, it is anti-discrimination legislation. It does not tell anyone to do anything, except not to \u201cdeny, restrict or interfere with\u201d with someone seeking that care.<\/p>\n
In response to my inquiry, Republican legislative communications director Matthew Garcia-Sierra wrote in an email response, \u201cHB 7 would further require that \u2026 public health care providers not interfere with the child\u2019s request for services that could include life changing medications or surgery.\u201d In other words, \u201cnot interfere with\u201d means \u201cprovide the service.\u201d While I\u2019m no doctor, I find that makes no sense either logically or medically.<\/p>\n
A letter has been issued jointly by the secretaries of the Department of Health and the Public Education Department, addressed to education leaders, apparently responding to these articles without naming any names. The letter expressed concern that misinformation is being spread about SBHCs.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s children have plenty of access to information, including misinformation, about sensitive subjects \u2013 not from the schools but from other students and social media. If I were a parent in today\u2019s environment, I would focus my worries on some kid coming to school with a gun.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2023 NEW MEXICO NEWS SERVICES<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a recent op-ed article, Rep. Greg Nibert (R-Roswell) sounded the alarm about New Mexico school children, gender identity issues and new legislation. Nibert referred specifically to two bills passed this year: House Bill 7 and Senate Bill 397. His … Continue reading