A northern Minnesota mother says she wants the federal courts to restore her parental rights so she can help her teen child, who is undergoing a sex-change procedure from male to female.

“Not only was I robbed of the opportunity to help my son make good decisions, but I also feel he was robbed of a key advocate in his life, his mother,” a teary-eyed Anmarie Calgaro told reporters Wednesday in announcing she is suing St. Louis County, two health-care providers and the St. Louis County School District.

Attorney Erick Kaardal said in St. Paul that the child, now 17, is being changed from “boy to girl … without her consent and without court order.”

He said the suit challenges a state law that allows minors to obtain medical treatment, even elective procedures, without a parent’s approval. The suit claims Minnesota law violates the U.S. Constitution by denying parental rights.

Calgaro, of Iron Junction, said that Park Nicollet Health Services, Fairview Health Services and the St. Louis County School District will not let her see her child’s records. She said that state Medical Assistance funds are helping the teen live in an apartment independently and paying for medicine, including powerful narcotics and hormone drugs to help with the sex change.

Linnea Mirsch, director of the St. Louis County Public Health and Human Services Department, who Calgaro also is suing, said county officials have not seen the suit, and could not comment.

“Both federal and state laws strictly limit what information may be shared regarding individuals who may or may not be receiving services from St. Louis County,” she said.

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Judge dismisses parents’ lawsuit challenging Minnesota teachers union protections The issue began in 2015 when Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid wrote a letter saying the parents surrendered their legal rights over their child. The teen said Calgaro was not married when she gave birth and, while she has legal custody, she did not report her child as a runaway six months after the teen left home. Calgaro lives in northeastern Minnesota while her child lives in central Minnesota.

“Suddenly, my son, without any notice to me, no longer was under my supervision,” Calgaro said Wednesday.

Kaardal said that while federal courts have taken up parental rights issues, he knows of none quite like the Calgaro case.

Calgaro’s child turns 18 next July and can make decisions then.

State Rep. Glenn Gruenhagen, R-Glencoe, said he plans to introduce a bill next year to prevent situations like Calgaro’s.

Kaardal said that a medical expert he hired said that under state law “if the child can pay for the services, the medical providers treat him as emancipated. … It happens every day in Minnesota.”

Calgaro said she is not opposed to the sex-change procedure. “I just want him to slow down.”

John Myers of Forum News Service contributed to this report.