Swiss parents face potential criminal charges for not supporting daughter's trans identity
The highest court in Switzerland has ruled that two parents from Geneva must embrace their 17-year-old daughter's sex change or face potential criminal charges after she was taken from them.
The parents, who have remained anonymous, appealed to the 38-member Swiss Federal Supreme Court after two lower courts mandated that the girl's documents must be handed over to change her sex, according to Alliance Defending Freedom International, which is providing them legal assistance.
BREAKING: Swiss Supreme Court rules parents separated from daughter for refusing to endorse her gender 'transition' must enable their child’s legal 'sex change' under threat of criminal charges.
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Press release in ???? pic.twitter.com/gk1ByQRats— ADF International (@ADFIntl) December 7, 2024 Get Our Latest News for FREE
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After her parents declined to put her on puberty blockers and objected to their daughter's school attempting to socially transition her, the school reportedly called the Swiss child welfare agency, and the school and the agency brought a case against the parents in court.
The girl was removed from her parents' custody and placed in a government shelter when she was 16, according to ADF International.
Despite arguing that the Swiss Federal Constitution and international law allowed them to oppose their daughter's gender transition, the high court maintained that they were not permitted to intervene in the case because of the country's separation of powers.
"The situation complained of cannot therefore be remedied by interpretation. Nor can it be concluded that there is a loophole per se that would have to be filled by the courts," the court said.
"It would therefore be up to the federal legislature, if necessary, to amend the system as it currently stands under the Act, from which the Federal Court cannot derogate, since it is not its role to interfere in matters that are the responsibility of the federal legislature. It follows that the complaint must be dismissed."
The girl's father said they were "heartbroken" over the court's ruling, according to ADF International.
"We love our daughter and only want what’s best for her. We know this decision is not in her best interest," he said. "That we could face criminal charges for simply trying to care for our daughter shows how deeply embedded transgender ideology is in Swiss institutions and the real harms it causes. We are considering our next steps."
The parents are reportedly weighing the possibility of appealing the case again to the higher European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.
"Children who experience discomfort with their biological sex deserve to be treated with dignity and need compassionate mental health care, which these parents have gone to great lengths to provide," Felix Boellmann, who is serving as the lead lawyer on the case for ADF International, said in July.
"As a result, they are now living every parent’s worst nightmare. Their child has been taken away from them simply for trying to protect her from harm," he added.
The case has drawn worldwide attention, including from X CEO Elon Musk, who tweeted about it in July.
"This is insane. This suicidal mind virus is spreading throughout Western Civilization," wrote Musk, who has claimed his own son was overtaken by the "woke mind virus" that convinced him he's trans.
The case in Switzerland comes as the U.S. Supreme Court recently heard the case of United States vs. Skrmetti, which will determine the constitutionality of a Tennessee law that prohibits the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to treat gender dysphoria in minors. Similar laws exist in 23 other states, and the court's decision in the case could have an effect on such state laws.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
