Republicans Take on HHS: Show Us the Science or Stop the Surgeries

ADragan / shutterstock.com
ADragan / shutterstock.com

It’s about time someone pumped the brakes on the Biden administration’s reckless push for gender transition procedures on minors. With the clock ticking on Biden’s tenure, Republican lawmakers are finally stepping in to ask the tough questions no one else seems willing to. They’re calling on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prove there’s actual scientific backing for their promotion of puberty blockers and surgeries for children. Because let’s face it—when it comes to irreversible medical interventions on kids, “just trust us” doesn’t cut it.

In a fiery letter to the HHS Inspector General, GOP members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce labeled the department a “global outlier.” They’re not wrong. Europe, a former darling of progressive America, has scaled back these treatments after studies revealed shaky benefits and serious risks. But in Biden’s America, if you slap “affirming” on it, apparently, it’s okay, even for kids as young as seven.

The lawmakers’ request for an investigation into HHS practices comes on the heels of the National Defense Authorization Act, which wisely bars military health insurance from funding these procedures for minors. If taxpayer dollars shouldn’t cover it, should parents even be allowed to sign their kids up for these experiments?

Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra insists the science is settled, and the experts are on board. Sure, but in October 2024, a major $10 million study from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles—the second-largest provider of child gender reassignment procedures—was quietly shelved. Why? Because its findings could “be weaponized.” Translation: The results aren’t flattering.

Even the American Society of Plastic Surgeons has raised red flags, citing a lack of reliable data on the long-term outcomes of surgeries on adolescents. Yet, between 2019 and 2023, over 13,000 such procedures were performed on minors, including irreversible surgeries on children barely old enough to ride a bike.

The tide is turning as states impose restrictions and lawsuits pile up. Let’s hope science, not ideology, wins out—for the kids’ sake.