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Did a law Tim Walz signed allow a child to be taken away from parents who don't consent to ‘sex changes’?

By Tom Kertscher
NO

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, signed legislation allowing Minnesota courts to take “temporary emergency jurisdiction” in a child custody case involving “gender-affirming” care.

The April 2023 law does not change when the state can take custody away from parents or enable the state to take away custody in connection with such care.

The law defines gender-affirming care as “medically necessary” care that can include aligning “the patient's appearance … with the patient's gender identity.”

The law enables Minnesota to take temporary jurisdiction in a child custody dispute between parents in another state if one wants a child to obtain gender-affirming care in Minnesota.

Twenty-five states restrict gender-affirming care.

A spokesperson for Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance cited the Minnesota law to back Vance’s claim Aug. 7, 2024, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, that Walz supports removing custody from parents who "don't want to consent to sex changes."

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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