Hawkeye Reporter

U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne (D-West Des Moines) joined U.S. House Democrats Thursday in blocking a Republican measure to require schools to obtain parental consent before providing "gender-based" mental health or social and emotional services to students.

Axne was the only member of Congress from Iowa to oppose the parental consent measure, which was proposed as an amendment to H.R. 7780, called the "Mental Health Matters Act."

“Every House Democrat just voted against requiring parental notice and consent before a school provides services related to sexual orientation or gender identity,” said U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA). “Outrageous. Parents have a right to know what schools are doing with their kids.”

Education and Labor Committee Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said the amendment would have "ensured that activist school administrators do not go behind the backs of parents" in requiring students to get mental health counseling.

“At every turn, the Left is attempting to undermine the rights of parents: from kicking them out of school board meetings to offering gender transition counseling secretly. Democrats continuously refuse to admit through word or action that parents are the primary stakeholders in their children’s lives," she said.

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council said the bill is being used "to further widen the pipeline of children who are being indoctrinated with gender identity in schools."

"This will lead to more children being steered by school personnel toward 'gender transition,' often without parental notification," he wrote on Twitter. "The Left looks at parents as simply 'babysitters,' keeping their kids in between indoctrination sessions."

U.S. Rep. Andy Feenstra (R-Hull), U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Marion) and U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Ottumwa) all voted for the parental consent amendment.