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Is it just me, or does it seem like common sense is beginning to make a comeback?
Recently, the Missouri House voted to eliminate the expiration date on a law designed to safeguard women’s sports. The decision followed party lines, with Republicans emphasizing what many parents already recognize: maintaining fairness in girls’ athletics requires protecting the category itself. On the other hand, Democrats argued that the issue warrants further “study” and “discussion.”
It will be interesting to see if the term “woman” continues to hold its significance in legal terms.
In 2023, the Missouri General Assembly enacted a law that prohibited biological males from participating in girls’ and women’s sports and limited gender-related medical procedures for minors. Although Senate Democrats attempted to block it with a filibuster, a compromise was reached, including a provision that the law would automatically expire in four years unless renewed.
Now, House Republicans are pushing to remove this expiration clause.
Now House Republicans want to remove that ticking clock.
State Rep. Brian Seitz of Branson said the expiration was “a matter of capitulation.” He is right. A sunset clause is what you add when you do not have the votes to stand firm. Making the protections permanent, he argued, ensures female athletes have a level playing field.
That phrase matters: level playing field. It is the entire point of Title IX. Congress passed Title IX in 1972 to guarantee equal opportunities for women in education and athletics. It recognized that biological differences exist and that separate categories are sometimes necessary to protect fairness.
If you erase the category, you erase the protection.