Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra demonstrated tacit support for social and medical gender transitions for minors in testimony on Tuesday before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) began the questions regarding gender transition medicine by describing his exchange with a 15-year-old girl who deeply regretted having a double mastectomy as part of a gender transition. When asked about her ability to consent as a minor, Becerra said that the decision ought to be between a physician and a patient, irrespective of age.
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“It means a lot to me that a medical professional is the one guiding that patient’s decision, not a politician, not a bureaucrat,” said Becerra.
Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) continued the line of question regarding the ability of minors to consent to medical treatment by highlighting the inconsistency between not allowing 18- to 20-year-olds to own rifles in California, where Becerra was attorney general before being appointed to HHS, and allowing children to consent to puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.
“Back then, you clearly defended and supported changes in the law to stop 18- to 20-year-olds from being able to own a firearm,” said Banks, “and I just wanted to ask this question: Why do you think that children much, much younger than 18 years old — 9, 10, 11-year-olds — are mature enough to make a decision to have sex reassignment surgery?”
Becerra did not directly respond to the question.
When asked by Grothman about the changing policies on sex reassignment and transition of minors in other countries, Becerra said that he was unfamiliar with foreign research and policy but trusted American experts in the field.
Last week, the United Kingdom‘s National Health Service recalled access to puberty blockers for medically transitioning minors.
Grothman also asked if there are long-term studies on the brain development and psychological effects of puberty blockers on children as they grow into adulthood, to which Becerra responded in the negative.
“What we do know at HHS,” said Becerra, “is that many of the transgender youth that are having very difficult, traumatic times find that getting gender-affirming care has been helpful.”
Banks also asked Becerra if he would follow through on a threat made in a 112-page report on transgender youth care to withhold hospital grant funding to states that do not support gender transition medicine for minors.
“We’re going to protect the rights of any American they’re entitled to, and if someone tries to stop them from that, that’s a violation of the law,” responded Becerra.
Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) accused Republican committee members of wanting “to create some sort of moral panic over gender-affirming surgeries,” and Becerra agreed, noting that surgical intervention for minors such as double mastectomies or vaginoplasties is “very rare.”
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Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said in her opening statement that gender ideology has co-opted HHS.
“Radical gender ideology is not a marker of a healthy country. On every axis — anxiety, depression, suicidality, self-harm, you name it — these children are unhealthy and in desperate need of a society-wide fix, not individual genital mutilation,” said Foxx.
