nc values

Press Room

Press Room2022-10-18T22:46:36+00:00

PR: NC Values Applauds Supreme Court Skrmetti Ruling and NC’s Stand to Protect Children and Parental Rights

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 19th, 2025
Contact: Ashley Vaughan
ashley@ncvalues.org

NC VALUES COALITION APPLAUDS SUPREME COURT SKRMETTI RULING AND NC’S STAND TO PROTECT CHILDREN AND PARENTAL RIGHTS

RALEIGH, NC — The North Carolina Values Coalition applauds yesterday’s 6–3 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Skrmetti, which upheld Tennessee’s law prohibiting life-altering and harmful gender transition drugs and surgeries for minors. The decision affirms the constitutional authority of states to safeguard children from irreversible and experimental treatments. Twenty-six states, including North Carolina, have passed similar laws to protect minors from medical gender transition interventions.

“Children should be protected from harm,” said Tami Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the NC Values Coalition. “And yesterday, the Supreme Court made it clear that states can pass legislation to protect children from harmful gender-transition drugs and surgeries. North Carolina passed such a law in 2023 to stop the medical community from profiting off gender transition interventions that are unproven, irreversible, and damaging to young developing minds and bodies. This decision is a great victory for common sense and for the health and well-being of our nation’s children.”

The North Carolina Values Institute filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court for this case.

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PR: Bill requiring age verification of individuals in pornographic images passes in NC House

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7th, 2025
Contact: Ashley Vaughan
ashley@ncvalues.org

BILL REQUIRING AGE VERIFICATION OF INDIVIDUALS IN PORNOGRAPHIC IMAGES PASSES IN NC HOUSE

RALEIGH, NC — Today, HB 805, a bill aimed at ending exploitation in the pornography industry, passed in the North Carolina House of Representatives on a 113-0  unanimous vote. The bill now moves to the North Carolina Senate for consideration.

 The “Prevent Sexual Abuse of Women and Minors Act” requires that pornography websites verify that people on their websites are at least 18 years old and have consented, in writing, to be there. It also makes a way for those who have been exploited by pornography websites to have content removed and provides significant financial penalties for violations.

 Tami Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the North Carolina Values Coalition, praised the NC House for this action, saying, “We are thankful the House passed this important bill, which is a critical step in safeguarding vulnerable individuals from exploitation by the pornography industry. It’s time to permanently put a stop to the sexual exploitation of women and children in North Carolina.”

 HB 805 has bipartisan support; it is sponsored by Reps. Neal Jackson, Laura Budd, Sarah Stevens, and Jennifer Balkcom.

Background:

It is a critical time to protect children from exploitation by the pornography industry because online child sexual abuse material is on the rise. In the US, reports have grown exponentially in recent years, from 3,000 reports in 1998 to more than 1,000,000 in 2014 and 18,400,000 in 2018. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recorded more than 29,300,000 reports of suspected child sexual abuse material in 2021, the highest number of reports ever received in a single year and a 35 percent increase from 2020.

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PR: Parents Protection Act Passes in NC Senate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7th, 2025
Contact: Ashley Vaughan
ashley@ncvalues.org

PARENTS PROTECTION ACT PASSES IN NC SENATE

RALEIGH, NC — Today, the North Carolina Senate passed SB 442, the Parents Protection Act, on a 32 – 13 vote to shield parents who refuse gender transition interventions from losing custody and facing prosecution, and to facilitate adoptions. The bill now moves to the North Carolina House for consideration.

In response to a growing number of cases across the country where parents have lost custody of their children for not supporting gender-transition interventions, SB 442 establishes legal protections for biological and adoptive parents. The legislation ensures that raising a child according to biological reality cannot be considered child abuse or reason for loss of custody under North Carolina law.

“No parent should ever face the nightmare of losing custody of their child simply for refusing to go along with dangerous and unproven gender transition interventions,” said Tami Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the NC Values Coalition. “We are grateful the NC Senate passed the Parents Protection Act because it ensures that loving and responsible parenting is not a crime. Parents should be able to make decisions for the well-being of their children without fear of the government taking their child away.”

What SB 442 Does:

  • Protects parental rights by making clear that raising a child in accordance with their biological sex—whether in name, pronouns, or medical care—does not constitute child abuse under North Carolina law.

  • Shields  adoptive parents from being denied placements or licensure simply because they decline to support a child’s gender transition.

  • Clarifies criminal law so that such parenting decisions cannot be used as the basis for misdemeanor or felony child abuse charges.

  • Affirms religious liberty by allowing parents and families to raise children consistent with their deeply held beliefs without facing legal consequences.

Medical experts are backing away from the use of gender-transition interventions on minors. Research shows that 60% of children who socially transition go on to pursue medical interventions which can have long-term harms, including sterility, cardiovascular damage, loss of bone density, and long-term psychological effects. In light of these concerns, over a dozen U.S. states and several European nations have begun restricting such treatments for minors. Last week the US Department of Health and Human Services released a new report calling for greater use of psychotherapy for youth with gender dysphoria and stating that there is “deep uncertainty about the purported benefits” of gender transition interventions.

The bill also invalidates current NC DHHS policy that has made religious adoptive parents vulnerable to disqualification. It ensures that no family can be denied the opportunity to care for a child simply because they won’t support gender transition—a provision that both protects religious liberty and helps address the urgent need for  families.

The bill is sponsored by Reps. Donnie Loftis, Neal Jackson, Brian Biggs, and Jennifer Balkcom.

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Laura Macklem
Laura MacklemPress & Political Director, NC Values