By Carolina Journal Staff
North Carolina Sen. Michael Lee, R-New Hanover, has received a cease-and-desist order from Democratic challenger David Hill over a recent campaign ad.
The letter from Womble Bond Dickinson attorney Press Millen, also addressed to the North Carolina Senate Majority Fund, claims that the Lee campaign and Senate Majority Fund are making false claims about Hill’s support of sex changes for minors.
“It has come to our attention that your committees are distributing mailers in Dr. Hill’s district concerning Dr. Hill,” states the letter. “The mailers, several versions of which I have reviewed, contain false and misleading statements concerning Dr. Hill. Specifically, the mailers claim that ‘State Senate Candidate David Hill strongly supports sex change surgery for kids.’ That statement is false.”
Hill posted a statement on his Facebook page calling the ads a slap in the face.
“I’ve been a pediatrician in this community for 22 years and have been honored to have had thousands of families trust me to care for their kids,” said Hill. “Michael Lee’s lies and character assassination are more than an attack on me, they are a slap in the face to my patients.”
The order requests an immediate “cease and desist from any further dissemination of the false claims, whether by mailer, on-line, or through any other Media.” And requests a “written retraction regarding the libelous claim that Dr. Hill supports ‘sex change surgery for children.”
In response to the cease and desist letter, attorney Craig Schauer of Dowling PLLC, representing the Lee campaign and the Senate Majority Fund, claims the David Hill campaign misunderstood citations on the mailers.
“Your assertion seems to be based on a misunderstanding that the mailer’s citation to Dr. Hill’s blog post was intended to be evidence of his support for minors having sex-change surgeries. To the contrary, the blog post was cited as the source for Dr. Hill’s quote that belittles parents who disagree with his liberal ideology,” asserted Schauer.
The response letter cites Dr. Hills’ involvement with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which has published multiple policy platforms supporting “gender-affirming healthcare” and “gender-affirming surgeries.” It also highlights two podcasts hosted by Dr. Hill in which he “advocated for such comprehensive gender-affirming care for minors.”
“During the podcast, Dr. Hill assured listeners that ‘the AAP is committed to defending the doctor patient relationship when it comes to gender affirming care,’ and he criticized state laws that were ‘designed to limit the [gender-affirming] care that doctors can provide for their patients,’” Schauer writes.
Schauer indicates that Senator Lee and the Senate Majority Fund will continue to use this messaging unless Hill publicly changes his positions.
“Dr. Hill may now wish to disavow his prior endorsements of comprehensive gender-affirming care for minors,” said Schauer. “Senator Lee welcomes Dr. Hill to change his position and publicly declare that doctors should not perform sex-change surgeries on minors suffering from gender dysphoria. But until he does, Senator Lee and the North Carolina Senate Majority Fund will continue to inform voters of Dr. Hill’s support of sex-change surgeries for children.”
In his 2022 Senate race, Lee sought a temporary restraining order to halt certain ads, which his opponent eventually discontinued voluntarily.
