GOP presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson clashed Friday over Hutchinson’s veto of a ban on gender-affirming care in Arkansas during his time as governor.
The clash took place as Hutchinson sat with Carlson for a conversation at The Family Leadership Summit, a conservative Christian event that is serving as a forum for some Republican presidential hopefuls.
During the event, Carlson asked the former governor about his veto of the first-in-the-nation gender-affirming care ban for minors.
Hutchinson said at the time of his veto that he believes the law went too far and was an example of government overreach.
On Friday, the former governor said that he believes only two genders exist and he would not personally support a member of his family changing genders, but he does not think the government should be involved in the decision.
“There should not be any confusion on your gender. But if there is confusion, then parents ought to be the ones that guide the children,” he said. “That to me is a fundamental principle.”
Hutchinson added that he would have signed a bill that only banned gender-affirming surgery for minors because a parent should not be able to consent to that “permanent change.” But the Arkansas law, which went into effect after the state legislature overrode his veto, bans all forms of care, including surgery, puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy.
Carlson pushed back on Hutchinson’s position, questioning how gender-affirming care is treatment and arguing that a responsibility exists to prevent this.
Hutchinson reiterated his view and said he did not support an Obama-era policy that required schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom consistent with their gender identity.
Carlson then cut Hutchinson off, asking about the distinction that Hutchinson was drawing and if he supports allowing children to change their gender but not be able to use a different bathroom. Hutchinson expressed frustration in a briefly tense moment.
“Let me finish what I said. Let me finish, if you don’t mind,” Hutchinson said.
He said the government should not be “pushing an agenda” in schools, which is what he opposes. He said parents and faith should guide these “difficult” decisions and the government should stay out.
Several major medical associations, including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics, have recognized gender-affirming care as legitimate treatment and said decisions on whether to use it should be made by patients, relatives and doctors.
A federal judge struck down the Arkansas law as unconstitutional last month, finding it discriminates against transgender people and violated doctors’ First Amendment rights in preventing them from referring minors to another provider.