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Delegate says attorney general opinion ‘hurts kids,’ calls for policy focus on services and anti-violence
Summary
Delegate Cohen criticized an attorney general opinion restricting certain medical care for minors, calling it harmful to vulnerable young people and urging colleagues to address issues like gun violence and child welfare instead of targeting medical care.
A delegate denounced a recently released attorney general opinion on medical care for minors as harmful and called on the House to prioritize measures that support children’s safety and well-being.
During the morning hour, Delegate Cohen said the opinion, titled on the floor as protecting children from “chemical and surgical mutilation,” would harm vulnerable young people and families and equated the guidance to an attack on access to life-saving care. “This is the furthest thing from protecting children,” Cohen said. “This is about hurting kids, about bullying the most vulnerable members of our society.”
Why it matters: The attorney general’s opinion was the subject of emotional floor remarks that asked colleagues to consider broader policy choices affecting children’s safety, including gun violence prevention, food security and housing stability.
Cohen urged colleagues to take concrete steps to keep children safe: “If they want to talk about protecting children, vote with us to help end gun violence. Feed kids. Make sure they have roofs over their heads,” she said. She warned colleagues to avoid focusing solely on restricting medical care and said families move to Virginia because they expect life-saving care to be available.
“Adults protect kids,” she said, and appealed to colleagues to act rather than inflict what she called cruelty. Cohen closed by reassuring constituents and fellow lawmakers that advocates would continue to press for protections and care for vulnerable children.
Her remarks were delivered during the personal-privilege portion of the morning hour; they did not reference a pending bill on the floor but reflected floor-level reaction to the attorney general’s opinion released the prior day.
