States and Physicians Protesting The Biden Administration’s Gender-Affirming Care For Minors
A Good News article reported that seven states and a coalition of physicians filed suit asking courts to cancel an order from President Biden requiring doctors to prescribe gender-affirming treatments for kids whose genders are reassigned.
Missouri, Utah and four other Republican-led states were part of the legal action along with three conservative Christian groups.
Central in the fight is a regulation that went into effect with the agency last April, and requires healthcare providers to embrace an affirming approach of transgender health care.
Critics oppose this rule, which expands sex discrimination in healthcare to include “gender identity” and “sexual orientation.” Critics say the rule encourages an unfounded level of care, while violating their right to professional judgment as physicians and affording another roadblock around Obamacare.
“Indeed, the rule requires doctors to provide and promote ‘social transitions,’ use of pronouns inconsistent with biological sex, experimental use of puberty-blockers and cross-sex hormones for ‘gender-transition’ purposes, and perform harmful, sterilizing procedures on adults and children to appear to be the opposite sex, even if state law restricts these procedures. Doctors are even required to inaccurately code their patient’s charts based on gender identity rather than biological sex,” the American College Of Pediatricians said in a press release.
The lawsuit, filed in a Missouri federal court, asks for an injunction to enforce the HHS rule. The agency said that since April, federal courts in Tennessee, Florida, and Texas have already issued orders to block it.
Dr. Jill Simons, executive director of the American College of Pediatricians stated “Sexual mutilation in all its forms is child abuse,” and added that forcing physicians to counter sound medical judgment by committing life-altering sterilizing interventions should never be allowed to happen.
“Our doctors take an oath to do no harm, but the Biden administration’s rule forces them to violate this oath and perform procedures that are harmful and dangerous to our patients — vulnerable children. What the Biden Administration is calling for is wrong and unlawful,” Simons said in a statement.
This further explores the growing controversy surrounding medical interventions for transgender children and adolescents – with certain countries and states cracking down on these treatments while others implement it.
In the U.S., at least 25 states have passed measures restricting medical treatment for transgender minors, including Florida, Ohio, Montana, and others.