Biden admin. says it opposes trans surgeries for minors after HHS officials pushed to remove age limits

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, July 03, 2024

Rachel (Richard) Levine, a trans-identified nominee for Assistant Secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services, testifies at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on February 25, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Levine previously served as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health. | Caroline Brehman-Pool/Getty Images

The Biden administration claims that it opposes allowing gender dysphoric minors to undergo sex-change surgeries following a report that top health officials urged an international group of medical experts to remove age limits for gender procedures and other life-altering interventions.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shared a statement to The New York Times defending the reported actions of Assistant HHS Secretary Admiral Rachel (Richard) Levine and his staff, who reportedly influenced a top LGBT health association to drop age limits for so-called "gender-affirming care."

"Adm. Levine shared her view with her staff that publishing the proposed lower ages for gender transition surgeries was not supported by science or research, and could lead to an onslaught of attacks on the transgender community," an HHS spokesman said in a statement shared by The Times.

According to the newspaper, federal officials didn't clarify the administration's position "regarding the scientific research or on Adm. Levine's role in having the age minimums removed."

"The administration, which has been supportive of gender-affirming care for transgender youth, expressed opposition only to surgeries for minors, not other treatments," the newspaper reports. "The procedures are usually irreversible, critics have said."

The outlet notes that the administration's previous statements have not "explicitly opposed surgery."

Last month, The Times reported on email excerpts from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health related to Levine and his staff. The email excerpts were part of legal filings associated with a federal lawsuit challenging Alabama's ban on trans surgeries and puberty blockers for minors.

WPATH's 2021 draft guidelines recommended lowering the age minimum to 14 for hormonal treatments, 15 for mastectomies, 16 for breast augmentation or facial surgeries and 17 for genital surgeries or hysterectomies. In one of the email excerpts, an unnamed WPATH member recounted an exchange with Levine's then-chief of staff, Sarah Boateng.

"She is confident, based on the rhetoric she is hearing in D.C., and from what we have already seen, that these specific listings of ages, under 18, will result in devastating legislation for trans care," the WPATH member wrote.

According to another email about Levine, a man who identifies as a woman, the health official was "very concerned" that age limits, especially when it comes to trans surgeries, could make it difficult for youth and adults to undergo these types of interventions.

In 2021, media outlets noted that WPATH removed a section from its Standards of Care on the minimum age requirements for children with gender dysphoria to obtain puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or undergo body-altering surgeries. The group claimed that this was to protect doctors from lawsuits.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.

The Biden administration's clarification comes on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court announcing that it will hear a challenge brought in part by the Biden administration against a Tennessee law prohibiting body-mutilating sex-change surgeries, puberty-blocking drugs and crosss-sex hormones for children.

The case, United States v. Jonathan Skrmetti et al., marks the first time that the nation's highest court will decide on the constitutionality of laws like the one in Tennessee. About two dozen states have enacted similar laws.

Regarding the Biden administration's position on so-called "gender-affirming care" for minors, the administration has not explicitly condemned it. An Office of Population Affairs document often cited by federal officials states that trans surgeries are "typically used in adulthood or case-by-case in adolescence."

During a July 2023 interview in an ABC Nightline segment called "Identity Denied: Trans in America," Levine expressed support for minors undergoing sex-change surgeries.

The trans-identifying health official insisted that the support for so-called "gender-affirming care" is "evidence-based," and that it serves as a form of "mental healthcare" and "suicide prevention care." He also claimed that medical interventions for gender dysphoric minors can help them "explore" their gender identity.

"Adolescence is hard and puberty is hard," Levine said. "What if you're going through the wrong puberty? What if you inside feel that you are female, but now you're going through a male puberty?"

The United Kingdom's National Health Service released a report earlier this year based on a review of trans medical practices led by Dr. Hillary Cass, warning that studies claiming puberty blockers improve the well-being of children suffering from gender dysphoria are of "poor" quality. The report recommended "extreme caution" for prescribing irreversible cross-sex hormones to minors.

Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman