State Rep. Charity Grimm Krupa (R-Fayette) has spoken out against the use of medical interventions such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries for minors as part of gender-affirming care in Pennsylvania. In a statement released Tuesday, Krupa expressed concern about these procedures being performed on children who are not legally able to make other adult decisions.
Krupa criticized Governor Josh Shapiro’s support for federal funding of gender-affirming care for minors. She stated, “I stand for protecting kids. Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to experiment on them, and he wants to use your tax dollars to do it. He has chosen to side with radical activists and medical extremists by joining a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration, fighting to force federal funding for so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ for minors.”
She continued: “This is not compassion. It is barbaric. And it is a grotesque abuse of power.”
Krupa also pointed out economic challenges facing families in Pennsylvania and questioned the prioritization of state funds: “While Pennsylvania families struggle to put food on the table, pay their heating bills, and afford school supplies, Gov. Shapiro has decided this is where your money should go: toward castration and genital mutilation of children who are not even old enough to get a driver’s license.”
She called on elected officials across the state to oppose these practices: “Our state should be a safe place to raise a family, not a testing ground for irreversible medical experiments on vulnerable minors. And every elected official in Pennsylvania who claims to care about kids should be condemning this immediately and forcefully.”
Krupa described her position as one rooted in protecting children from what she views as harmful interventions: “These are minors, many struggling with anxiety, depression, or trauma, who are being told that the solution to their pain is to permanently alter their healthy bodies. They are put on puberty blockers that disrupt normal development. They are undergoing surgeries that destroy healthy tissue and remove functioning organs.”
“This is not health care. This is child abuse,” she said.
Krupa advocated instead for mental health support: “The goal of any medical intervention, especially for children, should always be to help, not to harm. And when a child is in crisis or questioning their identity, our response should be rooted in mental health care, compassion and long-term well-being. These kids deserve real help, therapy, support, and hope, not hormones and surgeries.”
“No child is born in the wrong body,” she added.
Krupa accused Governor Shapiro of acting irresponsibly: “What Gov. Shapiro is doing is not only medically irresponsible, it’s morally repugnant. He is fighting for the disfigurement of children. He is prioritizing political theater over the safety and health of minors. And he is doing it with your money.”
She concluded by urging Pennsylvanians who share her concerns to contact state officials.
