FIRST ON FOX – Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is being sued in federal court for a law declaring California a "sanctuary state" for minors seeking transgender medical procedures.
Our Watch, a California parental rights nonprofit, is to file a lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Western Division against Attorney General Rob Bonta.
The filing, to be submitted by Advocates for Faith and Freedom, demands a jury trial regarding Senate Bill 107, which Newsom signed into law in September. It also seeks injunctive relief, a judicial declaration that the law is unconstitutional, as well as the recovery of attorney fees.
"California recently passed Senate Bill ('SB') 107, which violates the right of every parent in every state to direct the upbringing and care of their child," according to a copy of the filing obtained by Fox News Digital. "SB 107 allows minors to obtain gender transition procedures like harmful puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and irreversible surgeries without parental consent, while denying parents access to their child’s medical information. The bill also allows California to exercise ‘emergency jurisdiction’ over minors seeking gender dysphoria treatment."
The lawsuit contends that "SB 107 interferes with the parents right to control the important medical decisions of their children. Parents, not the government, are best suited to decide whether their child should undergo a life-altering and irreversible surgery that seeks to change the sex of the child."
Our Watch, led by Pastor Tim Thompson, argues the law violates the U.S. Constitution protections under the First and 14th Amendments because it "allows the ‘taking of the child’ away from his or her parents to California to obtain gender transition procedures."
The plaintiff claims "SB 107 also violates the Full Faith and Credit Clause to the United States Constitution, which requires California to defer to the laws and jurisdiction of the 49 other states regarding the care and custody of children."
NEWSOM SIGNS LEGISLATION MAKING CALIFORNIA A SANCTUARY STATE FOR TRANSGENDER PROCEDURES
"SB 107 overrides the jurisdiction of courts in a family’s home state that are usually the proper forum for custody determinations by allowing California courts to take emergency jurisdiction to make custody determinations over a child struggling with gender dysphoria," the lawsuit says. "California has decided that its courts – not those of the family's home state – should be the final arbiters of whether parents are fit to raise their child."
Prominent de-transitioner and activist Chloe Cole commended the lawsuit.
"As someone who has been harmed by these policies, it is imperative that we challenge SB 107 because it will allow vulnerable children from other states to undergo life-altering and harmful surgeries and drugs," Cole said in a statement.
"SB 107 is a dangerous piece of legislation that strips the right of parents to direct the care and upbringing of their child," Mariah Gondeiro, legal counsel for Advocates for Faith and Freedom, said. "Parents, not the government, are best suited to decide whether their child should undergo life-altering drugs and surgeries that will impair their ability to become a parent later in life."
"One of my top priorities has been the preservation of parental rights, and I believe SB 107 is a dangerous, irresponsible law that is an assault on those rights," Tim Thompson, president of Our Watch and pastor of 412 Temecula Valley, added.
Fox News Digital reached out to the California Attorney General's Office Tuesday seeking comment.
