Assistant Secretary of Health Rachel Levine claimed during an interview with NPR that “there is no argument” about “gender-affirming care” in the medical world.
In the interview, Levine, the highest-ranking transgender person in the U.S. government, said doctors have reached a consensus on the importance of gender-affirming care for transgender children.
The comments were made ahead of a Saturday speech at Texas Christian University, where Levine spoke about transgender youth and healthcare.
Levine said “The language of medicine and science is being used to drive people to suicide”.
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“There is no argument among medical professionals – pediatricians, pediatric endocrinologists, adolescent medicine physicians, adolescent psychiatrists, psychologists, etc. – about the value and the importance of gender-affirming care,” the secretary added.
According to a fact sheet from Levine’s Department of Health and Human Services, “gender-affirming care” includes social affirmations, the prescription of puberty blockers, and hormone therapy.
The agency noted that irreversible surgery is “typically used in adulthood or case-by-case basis in adolescence”.
Another fact sheet, published by the Florida Department of Health, advises against the claims of the HHS regarding gender-affirming care.
The Florida sheet cites a “lack of conclusive evidence, and the potential for long-term, irreversible effects,” advising against the treatment.
Levine claimed the Florida guidance was “based upon political considerations” and “not appropriate”.
“One of the most vulnerable groups of young people are LGBTQI+ youth, and particularly – the focus of many of these issues – trans youth. We need to affirm them,” Levine said.
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