In a significant move, the President of Argentina has enacted a decree prohibiting gender-affirming healthcare for individuals under 18 years old, as confirmed by a spokesperson on Wednesday.

This decision follows a large-scale protest organized by the LGBTQ+ community, which occurred in response to President Javier Milei’s remarks made during the recent World Economic Forum in Davos. During his speech, he criticized “wokeism” and feminism, and controversially labeled homosexuals as “pedophiles.”

Manuel Adorni, the presidential spokesperson, shared with the media that the new rule abrogates a provision of a 2012 law that permitted gender-affirming care for minors with the consent of their parents or guardians.

The government, representing Milei’s far-right ideology, defended the decree by arguing that extreme applications of “gender ideology” on children, particularly those carried out under psychological pressure, equate to child abuse. They assert that children lack the mental development necessary to make choices regarding irreversible medical procedures.