Children Cannot Consent
Yet a twisted ideology insists otherwise.
The grief of Minneapolis still hangs heavy. Two children gunned down at prayer, seventeen more wounded, and the young man responsible—Robert (“Robin”) Westman—dead by his own hand. Our first response is sorrow for the victims, for their shattered families, and even for the shooter’s grieving parents. They raised a son they loved, only to watch him become lost in confusion and brokenness.
At the center of this tragedy is a truth our culture refuses to face: children cannot give informed consent to life-altering medical decisions. Yet ideology insists otherwise, demanding that parents and children embrace the unthinkable—or be branded as bigots.
The Shooter’s Lost Childhood
Robert’s own words read like the diary of a lost child: “I am tired of being trans, I wish I never brain washed myself” (1). In another message, he confessed, “Gender and weed fucked up my head. I wish I never tried experimenting with either” (2).
These aren’t the reflections of a stable adult making rational choices. These are not the words of a man in command of his identity. They are the laments of a boy who never truly grew into manhood, trapped in grief, pain, and betrayal. As one commentator observed, Westman appears as “a young man lost in pain, grief, and betrayal” (3). His confusion was not strength—it was immaturity dressed in ideology.
Parents’ Dilemma and Manipulation
In doctor’s offices across America, parents are told the same lie: “Better a live daughter than a dead son.” It is emotional blackmail, a cruel distortion of love. Out of love and desperation, many comply. Mothers and fathers are pressured into believing that transition is the only path, when in reality it is a road paved with regret.
In this case, Westman’s parents not only have a dead son, but now must live with the heartbreaking reality that their child also committed murder.
Even the law works against parents. One Washington senator declared that “parents don’t have the right to interfere in their child’s decision about a particular medical service” (4). Think about that: the very people charged with protecting children are sidelined by legislators, bureaucrats, and activists who treat experimentation as medicine.
Parents love their children fiercely. But love can be manipulated when a system promises hope while delivering despair. Parents act out of love—but they are misled by a system that exploits that love, offering chemical and surgical experimentation instead of healing.
Why Consent Is Impossible
Robert’s own writings reveal a naive boy couldn’t cope with the embarrassment of detransition. Naivete is not consent—it is vulnerability. And children, by definition, are vulnerable.
Medical authorities are clear: “Children under the age of 18 cannot give consent for medical procedures and treatments” (5). Courts have affirmed the same. In Britain, the High Court ruled that those under 16 are “unlikely to be mature enough to give informed consent” to puberty blockers (6).
Robert warned (2), “Don’t let your kids smoke weed or change gender until they are like seventeen.” His words were the confession of a boy who realized, far too late, that he had been allowed to make an irreversible choice long before he was ready.
The science of biology underscores the futility of these choices. As Dr. Daniel Howell explains, “Biological sex is grounded in anatomy, physiology, and genetics… there are only two sexes… and true sex reassignment is impossible” (7). To ask a child to consent to the impossible is not compassion—it is cruelty.
Children deserve protection, not experimentation. They deserve childhood, not chemicals and scalpels.
The Charge Before Us
The horror of Minneapolis is not only in the gunfire but in the chain of lies and pressures that led one lost young man to that moment. Out of compassion—for victims, families, and even for Westman himself—we must tell the truth: children cannot consent.
If we have compassion, we must act. Our duty is to strengthen families, give parents back their voice, and shield minors from ideologies that prey on immaturity. Children must be guided, not exploited. The affirmation-only pathway is not a lifeline—it is a death trap.
What parents want, in the end, is simple: a live child. And it is society’s responsibility to ensure they are not forced into choices that endanger that very hope.
In Washington State, choose your best sphere of influence. Start where you are: in your home, in your church, in your child’s school, and in your community. From a letter to the local paper to a stand at the school board, from your county commissioners to the state legislature and even the halls of Congress—you have a voice. Never surrender it. Never give up fighting for families.
Our charge is to protect children—before another boy or girl, confused and hurting, believes that death or violence is their only way out.
Nancy Churchill is a writer and educator in rural eastern Washington State, and the chair of the Ferry County Republican Party. She may be reached at DangerousRhetoric@pm.me. The opinions expressed in Dangerous Rhetoric are her own. Dangerous Rhetoric is available on Substack, X, and occasionally Rumble.
SOURCES:
The question of children’s medical autonomy is at the heart of the transgender debate. Robert Westman’s writings reveal how fragile and immature these decisions can be — and the devastating consequences when ideology overrides caution. These citations highlight why children must be protected from irreversible choices.
1) Why the Media Won’t Tell You Who Killed Children at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis — Andy Ngo, August 27, 2025. Source.
2) Minneapolis gunman Robin Westman blamed massacre on mom warning him not to change gender— and discouraged people from letting their kids transition — Diana Nerozzi, Ronny Reyes, August 29, 2025. Source.
3) Seeing compassion, Korpijarvi, August 30, 2025. Source.
4) WA senator sparks fury with description of 40-year-old law limiting parental rights — Jerry Cornfield, February 10, 2025. Source.
5) Informed Consent in Pediatric Patients, Christina Bach MBE LCSW OSW-C, November 20, 2024. Source.
6) Puberty blockers: under-16s 'unlikely to be able to give informed consent', Owen Bowcott, 1 Dec 2020. Source.
7) “What Is a Woman?” The Biological Case for Two Genders, Dr. Daniel Howell, December 28, 2022. Source.
Excellent and TRUTHFUL points! The bottom line is that the children are being PERMANENTLY CASTRATED and will NEVER PROCREATE or they can ONLY PRETEND to procreate in some modified way that will NEVER allow them a satisfying sexual experience--EVER! I believe the 'doctors' (WITCH DOCTORS, rather) do NOT TELL THEIR PATIENTS WHAT THEIR FUTURE HOLDS ONCE THEIR SEX ORGANS ARE REMOVED OR MODIFIED/FRANKENSTEINED! The people promotoing this in any way are the REAL MANIACS! The good news: the evil ones are in God's crosshairs.
Well observed.
Nancy, the "bigot branding" has also served as a powerful tool for shutting down discussion across society, further isolating parents/children in the maw of these systems/decisions.
This is one of many topics screaming for open, honest adult discussion...downstream from an era where anyone who dissents from Big Woke is "branded as bigots" and silencing is deployed as one of the most powerful of all propaganda weapons. Thank you for making the effort.