Virginia Foxx demands answers from DC children’s hospital over gender procedures

EXCLUSIVE —
House Education and Workforce
Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) is demanding a
Washington
children’s
hospital
detail its protocols and policies related to the administering of
cross-sex hormones and surgeries
for children.

In a letter to Children’s National Hospital President and CEO Kurt Newman that was shared exclusively with the Washington Examiner, Foxx expressed concern that the hospital’s “Youth Pride Clinic” did not once mention the role of parental consent in the prescription of “life-altering surgeries and other medical interventions” for children diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

WYOMING GOVERNOR REFUSES TO SIGN ‘DRACONIAN’ BILL BARRING BIOLOGICAL MALES FROM WOMEN’S SPORTS

“The website for the Clinic states that your primary and specialty care teams provide, among other things, ‘[h]ormone replacement therapy,'” Foxx wrote. “There is no mention of any parental consent requirement for such therapy or for other medical services provided to youth who have not reached the age of majority.”

In August, the hospital drew scrutiny after the popular Twitter account Libs of TikTok released a recording of a call with a hospital staff member who admitted the hospital had performed hysterectomies on children younger than 16. The hospital later denied that it provided gender transition surgeries to minors and scrubbed its website of language that said such procedures were available to patients aged 0-21.

The letter from Foxx seeks answers from the hospital on whether or not it has provided “medical interventions for a minor diagnosed with gender dysphoria” without the consent of both parents, including such procedures as facial reconstruction, chest reconstruction, or genital modifications such as vaginoplasty or phalloplasty.

The letter also seeks records of “reports or inquiries” that hospital staff members have made to child protective services if a parent objected to “medical interventions that would hormonally or surgically transition his or her child” and asks the hospital to reveal the number of children who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria by the clinic, as well as those who have received hormonal or surgical treatment.

“I am concerned about the use of life-altering, irreversible medical interventions on children with healthy bodies,” Foxx wrote. “Parents are a key part of any medical decisions for their children: parents have the right and responsibility to make medical decisions for their children, and they should be free to do so without undue pressure or interference from medical establishments.”

In a statement to the Washington Examiner, Children’s National Hospital said it is “committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all and to serving our LGBTQ+ patients and families in the full spectrum of their care.”

“We do not and have never provided gender-affirming surgery for anyone under the age of 18,” the hospital said. “In fact, in DC you cannot perform a hysterectomy in a minor without a court order. Care is individualized for each patient and always involves families making decisions in coordination with a team of highly trained pediatric specialists.”

The letter is the latest effort by Republican politicians to scrutinize hospitals and clinics that provide puberty blockers and gender transition surgeries to children diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has also launched an investigation into the gender clinic at St. Louis Children’s Hospital for “harming hundreds of children.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

On Monday, Bailey issued a regulatory clarification that said gender transition procedures are considered experimental and are therefore covered by state law “governing unfair, deceptive, and unconscionable business practices, including in administering healthcare services.” The regulation requires clinics that provide gender transition procedures and puberty blockers to adopt a number of guardrails, including extensive psychiatric therapy, the resolution of other comorbidities, and ensuring the child is not experiencing social contagion.

“As attorney general, I will protect children and enforce the laws as written, which includes upholding state law on experimental gender transition interventions,” Bailey said. “Even Europe recognizes that mutilating children for the sake of a woke, leftist agenda has irreversible consequences, and countries like Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom have all sharply curtailed these procedures. I am dedicated to using every legal tool at my disposal to stand in the gap and protect children from being subject to inhumane science experiments.”