Last updated on February 9th, 2024 at 08:43 am
In a highly controversial case, Child Protective Services (CPS) in Montana has been accused of “medically kidnapping” a 14-year-old girl from her family and transporting her to Wyoming for gender transition treatment. As a result, the parents’ custody rights were fully revoked.
The Kolstad family’s saga kicked off when Montana CPS pre-emptively moved their daughter to Wyoming, a state with different laws on the medical transition of minors, for treatment after she was diagnosed with sudden onset gender dysphoria. According to the parents, their daughter was admitted for observation after texting a friend about suicide, yet hospital staff disregarded the family’s religious views and objection to gender transition.
Insiders report that during her hospital stay, medical staff addressed her with male pronouns and discussed elective double mastectomy with her. Subsequently the girl, who is now referred to as “Leo,” was placed under protective custody by CPS against the family’s will. The parents’ communication with their child was cut off.
Following this incident, the Kolstads were notified that their daughter, in consultation for hormones to halt her menses, might be sent to live with her estranged biological mother in Canada, a country with less restrictive laws about transitioning minors.
Despite these accusations, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte maintained that the state and court authorities had acted in compliance with state laws and policies in this case. However, critics argue that there is a lack of clarity about whether the child was taken from her family due to their refusal to support her gender transition.
The Kolstad family, currently represented by a public defender, is seeking funds to hire a private attorney to regain custody of their daughter. They denounce this incident as a case of forced medical transition and an encroachment on their parental rights and religious beliefs.