The formation of the Cornerstone Standard Coalition represents not merely a policy initiative but a constitutional and moral imperative. The federal judiciary has repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to obstruct the ability of states to exercise their sovereign police powers to protect children from irreversible harm. In this environment, the only effective recourse remaining is cooperative state action, grounded in clearly enumerated constitutional rights and executed through formal compacts and mutual enforcement agreements.
The effectiveness of this approach lies first in its moral clarity: it unifies states and counties around the most foundational of governmental responsibilities-the protection of children. But it also holds constitutional authority. The Tenth Amendment reserves to the states all powers not specifically delegated to the federal government. The police power to protect health, safety, and welfare-especially of minors-falls squarely within this reservation. Furthermore, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022), the Supreme Court explicitly restored to the states the sovereign ability to regulate issues involving profound moral and societal consequence. The regulation of body-altering procedures on minors is one such issue.
The Declaration of Purpose issued by the Coalition reaffirms the legitimacy of these reserved powers while rejecting federal overreach and sanctuary-state nullification of protective state laws. It rests not on rhetorical flourish alone, but on sound constitutional reasoning:
- That no article, amendment, or precedent in federal law gives judges or Congress the authority to override state prohibitions on mutilating procedures;
- That sanctuary state interference violates Article IV of the Constitution, which obligates states to respect the sovereignty and legal protections of their sister states;
- That federalism, rightly understood, empowers states to form legal coalitions to enforce child protection standards within their own jurisdictions and against intrusions.
The power and constitutional force of the Declaration are made vivid in its clear articulation of first principles. It states, “The foundational basis for the Social Contract between a government and its citizens is Consent-that the citizens give their Consent to be governed.” This insight is foundational to all American constitutionalism, rooted in the Declaration of Independence itself. A government that participates in or enables the mutilation of children violates that Consent at its core.
The Declaration rightly asserts: “To whatever extent a government threatens or actually brings about harm to children, the Social Contract is broken.” This is more than a moral argument-it is a constitutional indictment. When states violate their most basic duty of protection, they forfeit the legitimacy conferred by popular sovereignty.
The call to form a coalition is not mere rhetoric but a justified and targeted response to unlawful encroachment by sanctuary states and activist courts. The Declaration warns of the growing phenomenon where “a child can be transported or lured from a State where so-called ‘transgender healthcare’ is banned to a State where it is allowed… and parents who would object can have their parental rights taken away.” This conduct is not only immoral but potentially criminal. It calls into question the federal government’s failure to uphold parental rights and state sovereignty.
The Declaration affirms that “no legitimate governmental or judicial powers exist in the US Constitution to give so-called ‘transgender healthcare rights’ to minors,” and this is legally and textually accurate. The Constitution is silent on any such right, and the Tenth Amendment reinforces that the power to regulate healthcare-and particularly medical interventions on minors-rests with the states. This also echoes the principle of Dobbs, which returned abortion regulation to state governance based on the absence of any explicit constitutional right.
Furthermore, the Declaration denounces the so-called sanctuary legislation, noting that such states seek to “undermine the laws of another,” which constitutes a direct affront to Article IV and the principle of comity. The assertion that this undermining is “in violation of Article 4 of the US Constitution” is not a novel interpretation-it is a well-grounded constitutional principle: states may not unilaterally override the protective laws of other states.
One of the most poignant declarations is the Coalition’s moral stance: “We are adamantly unwilling to consign the future of our children to the opinions of perverted science, which is patently motivated by financial gain and extremist ideology.” This statement strikes at the heart of the public-private partnership that often operates outside public accountability and under the guise of science. It invokes the doctrine of parens patriae-states acting as guardians of those unable to protect themselves-as a bulwark against ideologically motivated harm.
Lastly, the Coalition offers a path of legal, coordinated action through interstate cooperation and extradition, asserting: “If they are found within the borders of any of the Coalition States, having contributed materially… they will be arrested/extradited, tried and [if convicted] punished.” This is not a radical position-it is a lawful exercise of jurisdiction, protected under the Full Faith and Credit Clause and long-standing principles of criminal law cooperation between states.
The Declaration closes with a resolve that is at once constitutional and righteous: “We the Member States of The Cornerstone Standard Coalition will not yield to coercion… and we will never agree to turn over our children to the mutilators, under any circumstances.” This is the language of American liberty. It is the language of sovereign states who remember their duty, and who now commit to fulfilling it in the face of grave peril.
The Cornerstone Standard Coalition, through this Declaration, asserts its rightful authority to protect the innocent, to coordinate law enforcement, to affirm constitutional order, and to remind a distracted nation that justice begins with the defense of its children.