Vanderbilt transgender health clinic suspends gender-affirming surgery for minors
The ’pause’ in gender-affirming surgeries for under 18s came after political pressure from Tennessee Republicans
Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has suspended gender-affirming surgeries for patients under the age of 18 while it reviews its practices, officials said.
The announcement was revealed in a letter from university executive C Wright Pinson to Tennessee Republican state lawmaker Jason Zachary who posted it on Twitter.
Calls for an investigation into the clinic intensified after video surfaced on social media last month of a doctor claiming the gender-affirming surgeries were “huge money-makers” for hospitals.
The videos, shared by right-wing political commentator Matt Walsh, showed a VUMC doctor saying in 2018 that those “types of surgeries bring in a lot of money”.
A staff member said anyone with religious objections to the treatment should quit, in another leaked clip.
Republicans in Tennessee had pressured the private nonprofit hospital to pause surgeries on minors who were transitioning genders while it investigated the claims, the Associated Press reported.
Dr Pinson said in the letter that the suspension was due to a review of new guidance on treating transgender patients from the World Professional Association of Transgender Health, adding that the review “may take several months”.
Please see Vanderbilt Medical’s response to the @tnhousegop.
— Rep. Jason Zachary (@JasonZacharyTN) October 7, 2022
VUMC has agreed to pause gender transition surgeries on minors as well as honor religious objectors. https://t.co/xXlbSaAOMS pic.twitter.com/4G8laJfQfY
Dr Pinson said the clinic had performed an average of five surgeries per year since it was established in 2018, and that all of the procedures were on children over 16.
The letter noted that new legal restrictions on gender-affirming care could be passed, and that it would comply fully with the law.
Gender-affirming care for minors have become a political lightning rod in conservative states.
In February, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the state Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate use of treatments such as hormone therapy and puberty blockers as child abuse. The order is being challenged in court.
Experts from the American Medical Association say that gender-affirming care, which helps a person transition from their designated gender at birth, is appropriate for minors who suffer gender dysphoria.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments