Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra defended a memo he released that advocated teenage transgender surgeries during a Capitol Hill grilling this week by Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert.
Her questioning during a Wednesday hearing comes after a Washington Examiner series exposed the extreme health consequences of transgender healthcare on children, including a 50% mortality rate and firsthand accounts of young women who face lifelong, debilitating pain after detransitioning.
“For the record, you favor HHS’s funding being [used for] sex reassignment surgeries on minors?” Boebert asked during the Wednesday hearing in the Budget Committee.
“Yes,” Becerra answered.
Becerra expounded on his position, saying, “I will do everything I can to defend any American, including children, whether or not they fit the categories you have mentioned. And if they talk about gender-affirming care, I am there to protect the rights of any American.”
The comments came as Boebert tried to determine if tax dollars were used to fund transgender surgeries for children. Becerra did not directly answer. Last year, the Biden administration reversed long-standing policy and agreed to fund transgender surgeries in the military.
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The American College of Pediatricians president said European countries such as Sweden and Denmark have outlawed transgender treatments on minors because of the extreme health risks. This came after a study, which was released last year and spanned nearly 50 years of research, found 4,600 transgender people who showed a 50% mortality rate.
Dr. Quentin Van Meter said the health risks include loss of bone density, stroke, cancer, tumors, and sterilization. And while he’s seen a 500% increase over the past decade in transgender children, a revolving door exists on the other end in which people are trying to revert back to their previous selves.
“I’ve been the lone voice in the wilderness crying out about this,” said Van Meter, referring to the availability of treatment in almost every state. “The system is the problem. It is a cult machine sucking these children in and putting them on a conveyor belt. Puberty blockers, cross-hormones, and then surgery is the way to go. They are getting their breasts cut off right and left.”
Candace Sharpe transitioned into a boy as a young teenager, and now, in her early 20s, she reverted to being female. She says a lifetime of pain and suffering awaits her choice to have both a mastectomy and hysterectomy.
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“This is very dangerous,” she said. “Especially how most of these transgender kids presenting to clinics are young girls who have other issues such as eating disorders, self-esteem, sexual abuse, [being] bullied, being chronically online, traumas, etc.”
