The British Prime Minister this Wednesday pointed to the need to protect “women and children” as the reason why the British government vetoed a bill to facilitate the process of gender reassignment from the age of 16 in Scotland.
“The decision in this case focuses on the legislative consequences” for the rest of the UK, Rishi Sunak said, citing the need to “ensure the safety of women and children”.
The Conservative British Prime Minister responded to Scottish National Party (SNP) parliamentary leader Stephen Flynn, who claimed that the government’s intervention is “a dangerous moment for Scotland’s autonomy” as it was a decision by the Scottish regional parliament and jeopardizes an election campaign. promise from the SNP, which sits in the regional executive.
Flynn further accused the Conservative Party of “wanting to wage a culture war against some of the most marginalized people in society, and Scottish democracy is just collateral damage”.
The UK government announced on Tuesday that it would for the first time invoke section 35 of the Scottish Home Rule Act 1998 to “veto” the Gender Recognition Reform Act.
The mechanism makes it possible to prevent diplomas approved in Edinburgh which interfere with matters falling within the purview of the central government from being promulgated by the King.
According to the Scottish Minister for Scotland, Alistair Jack, there is a risk that Scottish legislation will create two gender recognition systems in the country.
These include changes that lower the minimum age at which a person can apply for a gender recognition certificate from 18 to 16 and remove the need for a medical diagnosis and proof of having lived in the acquired gender for two years.
Alistair Jack listed among the possible adverse effects the impact on the functioning of unisex clubs, associations and schools, and issues such as equal pay.
“I have not taken this decision lightly. The government has carefully analyzed the potential impact of the bill and I have considered all relevant political and operational implications,” he assured parliament on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP, Nicola Sturgeon, regarded this decision by the British government as a “frontal attack” on the autonomy of the Scottish Parliament and indicated that he would appeal to the courts, but has not yet advanced.
While admitting doubts about the bill, the leader of the Labor Party (the main force of the British opposition), Keir Starmer, suggested that both sides are trying to instrumentalise the issue for political purposes due to the disagreement over a referendum on the Scottish independence.
Source: DN
