Letters: Children show real courage at Statehouse

Children show real courage at Statehouse

Many use the word courage when someone has performed a valiant act of bravery or a dangerous deed. Which is true, at times. But recently, some of the most courageous people have been at our State Capitol. And no, I am not speaking of our state’s elected leaders. Far from it.

I’m speaking of the young people who know Iowa should be a welcoming place. Who have shown up time and again in front of powerful adults in committee hearings who are writing legislation to erase their existence and tell them all the ways they are wrong and don’t fit neatly into the label male or female.

Courage looks like a 12-year-old begging to keep books on the shelf so they can see themselves represented in writing like their straight peers. Kids are courageously showing up and speaking truth to power to the anti-LGBTQ bills proposed here in Iowa. While the adults in power want to divide us and hide behind hateful rhetoric from dark money groups such as Moms for Liberty and Advancing American Freedom.

Imagine the Iowa we could have if our Republican lawmakers had courage. The courage to stand up for what is right for ALL kids, the courage to protect our LGBTQ kids, and the courage to do right by our public schools. Let’s hope that those in Des Moines working on this legislation can muster up an ounce of the courage these young people have and VOTE NO on these hateful and harmful anti-LGBTQ bills.

— Amy Adams, Saint Lucas 

Affirming-care doctors’ presentation left out a lot

I am shocked by the information left out of the story “Iowa House Republicans may ban gender-affirming care for transgender kids, speaker says.”

While University Hospitals’ Dr. Katie Imborek admitted that five breast removal surgeries were performed on minors in the past year, did she mention that, as noted by a 2018 PowerPoint presentation by the university’s Dr. Katie Larson Ode, girls as young as 16 are eligible for such surgeries? Nor did the story mention, as confirmed by the PowerPoint, that “Parents!” are viewed as the first “barrier specific to kids” with regard to transgender treatment.

The 2018 presentation also made clear that the University of Iowa’s protocols credit studies in the Netherlands, which are now being extensively criticized by such organizations as the Society for Evidence Based Gender Medicine.

In 2021, a systematic study by the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence failed to find convincing evidence that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones are helpful in treating youth with gender dysphoria. Puberty blockers, and possibly cross-sex hormones, will now be allowed only in limited research settings. 

Both England and Sweden intend to stop “gender affirming” youth transitions as routine medical practice. Sweden found that "the risks of puberty suppressing treatment with GnRH-analogues and gender-affirming hormonal treatment currently outweigh the possible benefits, and that the treatments should be offered only in exceptional cases." Psychological interventions will be the first line of treatment, with gender transition allowed only in clinical research. Finland also found that the condition of youth treated with cross-sex hormones often worsens and is limiting their use to exceptional cases.

The Legislature needs to act in accordance with these facts.  

— Donald W. Bohlken, Indianola  

Iowa Republicans tear down parents’ rights

Iowa’s Republican-controlled Legislature and governor have spent a considerable amount of time this session protecting parental rights.

The truth is they only want to protect some parents’ rights. The most recent bill to prohibit transgender treatments for a child under the age of 18 totally eliminates the rights of parents who have a transgender child to determine what medical treatments their child receives.

The Legislature and governor have also spent considerable time limiting what educators can’t do or must do in their teaching because the parents have the right to determine what and how their child is taught. Of course, they are totally ignoring the rights of other parents to determine what and how their children are taught. The reality is they are protecting the rights of a particular group of parents and decreasing the rights of the rest of Iowa’s parents. Unfortunately, the future does not look any brighter.

— Harold Templeman, West Des Moines 

Will Iowa Republicans overplay their hand?

Just when Republicans are in a position to capitalize on the poor economy, inflation, high interest rates, mishandling of the COVID disaster (arguably all attributable to Democrats in charge), they decide to legislate the tired old ban on same-sex marriage.

As a longtime conservative, I predict Republicans will reverse any advantage they might have by flexing their muscles via their majority rule position.

If conservatives want to effectively make changes, I suggest they forget about marriage and also about complete bans on abortion. By avoiding these two divisive issues, they will swing a huge voting bloc in their direction.  And the Congress and White House will be theirs for years to come.

— Stu Bassman, West Des Moines 

When did the Energy Department know?

I was pleased that the Energy Department announced that COVID-19's origin might have been the Wuhan lab. This news was important to be published in light of the widespread number of persons who died from this illness and other consequences the world experienced, such as its huge cost.

While I applaud this news, I believe the timing of the release needs to be closely examined. Obviously, that department was aware that the House of Representatives, now controlled by the Republicans, had this matter on their agenda to be closely investigated. Although I haven't heard the media mention this, I would urge the investigators closely examine the Energy Department as to exactly when it reached their conclusion.

It is one thing for them to disclose their conclusion, but it is quite another for such news to stem from the Republican investigation. 

— Bill Kramer, Urbandale 

All white faces among Republican influencers

I saw the Sunday Register's list of the 50 most wanted Influential Republicans who will shape the fate of next year's caucuses. The most glaring observation is there is not one person of color or diverse ethnicities. When I graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1969, the state of Iowa was in the top five of states in public education in the United States. Very sad as that is not the case anymore. Fully fund the state universities and public schools not the private schools.

— Richard Foster, Cedar Falls 

Republicans can’t let up on cleaning up schools

Obscene and pornographic books in school libraries are a hot topic in Iowa and across the nation.

In each case, a teacher, an administrator, some other public employee or a school board member put these books in schools.

Earlier this year an Iowa man was sentenced to 25 years for production of child pornography and transfer of obscene material to minors. Yet Iowa's public schools are exempt from Iowa's obscenity code. With their master's degrees, educators claim to know what society wants the kids to be taught.

The school choice bill relieved parents. They can take their children to a preferred learning environment. But taxpayers are still forced to fund immoral teaching.

Iowa Republican legislators claim to be working on a solution. With control of the state House and Senate and the governor’s and attorney general’s offices, it seems like an easy fix. Tweak the code, remove the books, prosecute and sentence offenders.

We will see if Republicans are serious about cleaning up public schools or would rather let it go and use the issue for campaigning in the future.

— Leland Graber, Wayland 

High in pollution, low in health

According to the Iowa Cancer Registry, Iowa has the second-highest cancer incidence rate in the U.S. and is the only state with a rising rate of cancer.

Couldn't possibly have anything to do with all the polluted water closing various Iowa beaches every summer, or Iowa being the leading contributor to the notorious and growing dead zone in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, a direct result of chemical run-off from Iowa farm fields.

Welcome to Iowa, the filthy state.

— Fred Taylor, Creston 

Vote out overpaid Polk County supervisors

I hope everyone in Polk County remember at election time to vote these greedy and incompetent Polk County supervisors out of office.

The salaries they approved for themselves and other county employees is ridiculous to the point of being almost criminal. Supervisors of a county making more than the governor is shameful.

I seriously doubt anyone of them could come close to making that kind of salary, retirement contributions, deferred compensation, and benefits in the private sector.

Inflation and property taxes are at an all-time high which is putting a heavy burden on the taxpayers. Government never talks about cutting back, just increasing taxes, the exception being Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa legislators. The county needs to cut back expenses, not increase at the expense of taxpayers.

There are a lot of us that worked pretty hard during our working years to have our modest homes paid off by retirement age knowing we would eventually be on a fixed income, and now due to the property taxes in Polk County being what they are, we are saddled with paying more in monthly property taxes than we ever had in house payments.

Supervisors, get your priorities straight and use some of the Prairie Meadows windfall to reduce property taxes instead of funding your pet projects and giving yourselves raises.

— Mark Nord, Polk City 

Hawkeye victory showcased the best of sports

Hey, all you naysayers who said funding women’s sports equitably (Title IX) would end collegiate sports programs, I hope you watched the University of Iowa’s women’s basketball game on Sunday, and especially Caitlin Clark’s breathtaking winning shot.

What I saw was a packed Carver-Hawkeye Arena, fans going wild, and two talented teams playing basketball as well as college teams can play. Choosing inclusion and diversity in college athletics, or anywhere else for that matter, is always the best decision.

— Myrt Levin, West Des Moines 

Children will find out the truth sooner or later

The parents who want to ban certain books in school want it all their way. Why not have specific shelves, or a room where those books can be stored and checked out to students whose parents are in favor of their children being able to read them?

Remember, children leave their homes eventually and will take control of their own lives. Some may choose a lifestyle that their parents aren't happy about.

That's life. 

— Richard Gralnek, Urbandale 

‘Dilbert’ was never very good anyway

Poor Scott Adams! ("Media drop 'Dilbert' comic after creator's comments," Feb. 27). It's beyond me why Adams chose to spread his jaundiced mean-spiritedness beyond the comics page onto YouTube. A couple of decades ago, "Dilbert" was a second-tier strip that got lifted to undeserved prominence when the A-Team of "The Far Side," "Calvin and Hobbes" and "Bloom County" disappeared from the funny papers. Any connection that Adams once had to the foibles of the workplace is long past and "Dilbert" should pass on as well; it's sour without being savvy, febrile but not funny. Thank God for "Zits"! (Thank me for not going into my rant about running 30-year-old “Doonesbury” strips!)

— Jim Zeller, Des Moines  

Invest in young kids

“My vision is to give the people of Iowa a place to call home that unleashes opportunity at every turn.” Governor Kim Reynolds.

Iowa has been creating supportive communities of learning for years. Our youngest citizens have seen this support in there early childhood programming. Data shows that the best investment for a society begins at birth. House File 297 would expand pre-K educational enrichment for children who are living below the 200% poverty threshold. As an educator, parent, and former preschool director, I have seen the positive impact of accessible education has had in our children. In passing House File 297, we will reflect opportunities for all our Iowans.

— Kelly Donnelly, Bondurant 

Punish the team for its fans’ misbehavior

Recently students were removed from a Des Moines Lincoln high school basketball game for abusive language. Difficulties in recruiting game officials arise in part because of verbal abuse from fans directed towards officials. Removing a large student section from a game appears extreme to some people as a solution to ending verbal abuse.

There is an alternative to explore for basketball officials. Back in the 1980s at one of Iowa’s Division III colleges there was a problem with verbal abuse from fans. Officials ended the problem by calling technical fouls on the fans. The college administration supported this turn of events. Perhaps this solution should be codified for Iowa high school basketball games.

— Dennis Havran, Milo 

Proposed gun safety training does not work

I am frustrated to read about House File 71, which would require gun safety training for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, even though studies have shown these trainings have no effect on changing kids’ behavior around a gun. One study, for example, had 70 children between the ages of 4 and 7 years randomly assigned to participate in a weeklong firearm safety program or a control group. After the program was over, pairs of children were then observed when they had access to a semiautomatic pistol. 53% of the pairs handled the gun; the training had no effect on children’s likelihood of playing with guns. I worry these trainings could also give parents a false sense of security.

If this passes, legislators would pat themselves on the back even though they haven’t done anything meaningful to prevent gun violence, which is now the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 19 in the U.S. Legislators should spend their time enacting changes that actually would help prevent gun violence, like making extreme risk protection orders available (a red flag law), disarming domestic abusers, and requiring background checks for all gun sales. In addition, all adults who own a gun should ensure their gun is secure (locked and unloaded). Parents need to ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes and recognize the role guns have in suicide as well.

Guns have impacted my family; my uncle died by gun suicide after a romantic breakup when he was a teenager, using my grandpa’s unsecured gun. Let's focus on what has been proven to work to prevent these tragedies.

— Katherine Jones, Des Moines 

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Letters: Children show real courage at Statehouse