Tennessee lawmakers are formally asking Vanderbilt University Medical Center to halt gender transition surgeries for transgender children and teens. The letter, signed Wednesday by Speaker Cameron Sexton and most other House Republicans, also calls on Vanderbilt to honor its employees’ religious objections to performing gender-affirming care.
This is a time in which elected leaders must boldly lead and speak on behalf of the people.
I’ve been joined by my esteemed @tnhousegop colleagues in formally requesting that Vanderbilt Medical halt all gender transition surgeries on minors.
1/ pic.twitter.com/FgiRdLHEM4— Rep. Jason Zachary (@JasonZacharyTN) September 28, 2022
Republicans say their request is prompted by a report from the Daily Wire, a conservative website that claims VUMC is profiting off of gender care for minors. The letter, which was sent to the hospital’s board of directors, uses loaded language to describe gender-affirming surgery, referring to procedures as “mutilations” and “genital disfiguring.”
The coverage sparked a wider campaign against the hospital in conservative media last week. But the hospital has disputed many of its claims.
VUMC says it does not discriminate against employees who decline to participate in gender-affirming care, and it says its services are family-centered and require the consent of a parent. The hospital has not detailed its policy on surgery for transgender teens, but it has said the clinic follows professional guidelines. Those standards allow for surgery for 16- and 17-year-olds but encourage patients to wait when possible.
Groups have also weighed in on the hospital’s side. The ACLU of Tennessee says that gender-affirming care saves lives and dramatically reduces depression and thoughts of self-harm in a population with high suicide rates.
The Rev. Dawn Bennett of The Table Nashville, a faith group that centers the LGBTQIA+ community, says she has seen that firsthand. She’s often called to the bedsides of trans teens who have attempted suicide.
“There are at least four human beings that I have touched with my hands who are this side of the grave because of the gender affirming care that they receive through Vanderbilt,” Bennett says.
Other medical and mental health organizations have spoken out in favor of medical interventions for trans youth, including the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The legislature’s letter asks Vanderbilt for a response in the next ten days and that the cooperation will determine what proposals are considered in the upcoming legislative session.
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