Rand Paul Blasts Transgender Biden Nominee For Endorsing Sex Changes For Young Children
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, during a Senate confirmation hearing, railed against President Joe Biden’s nominee for assistant Health and Human Services secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine, a transgender health official in Pennsylvania, over Levine’s support for gender reassignment surgery.
“According to the WHO, gender mutilation is recognized internationally as a violation of human rights,” Paul said. “American culture is now normalizing the idea that minors can be given hormones to prevent the biological development of their secondary sexual characteristics. … Do you believe that minors are capable of making such a life-changing decision as changing one’s sex?”
Thank you for your interest in this question. Transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field,” Levine said. “If I am fortunate enough to be confirmed as the assistant secretary of health, I will look forward to working with you and your office.”
Paul pressed further. “The specific question was about minors, let’s be a little more specific since you evaded the question,” Paul said. “Do you support the government intervening to override the parent’s consent to give a child puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and/or amputation surgery of breasts and genetalia? You have said that you’re willing to accelerate the protocols for street kids.”
Paul highlighted the story of Keira Bell, a 23-year-old woman who read online at a young age about transsexuals and thought that’s what she might be before pursuing gender reassignment medicine she now deeply regrets.
“She ended up getting these puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, she had her breasts amputated,” Paul said, going on to cite Bell’s present anguish over her teenage decision: “‘The rest of my life will be negatively affected,’ she said.”
“What I am alarmed at is that you’re not willing to say absolutely minors shouldn’t be making decisions to amputate their breasts or to amputate their genitalia,” Paul said.
Levine offered the same non-answer, saying, “Senator, transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field.”
Paul wrapped up his time outlining the double-standards wielded by Democrats who raised hysteria over the malaria medication hydroxychloroquine used for the novel Wuhan coronavirus but now actively promote scientifically dubious treatments for minors with gender dysphoria.
“We wouldn’t let you have a cut sewn up in the ER, but you’re willing to let a minor take things that prevent their puberty and you think they get that back? You give a woman testosterone enough that she grows a beard. You think she’s going to go back looking like a woman when you stop the testosterone?” Paul said. “None of these drugs have been approved for this. They’re all being used off-label. I find it ironic that the left that went nuts over hydroxychloroquine being used possibly for COVID are not alarmed that these hormones are being used off-label. There’s no long-term studies. We don’t know what happens to them.”
Dozens of people, however, Paul noted, regret the permanent changes they went through at a young age.
Left-wing activists in the corporate board rooms of Silicon Valley wielding unprecedented influence in the modern American public square have suppressed dissent on widespread acceptance of transgender medicine targeting children. Last weekend, billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Amazon pulled conservative scholar Ryan T. Anderson’s 2018 book “When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment” from its online store after a three-year stint. Now when online shoppers search for the book on the mega-retailer website, the second book to come up is “Let Harry Become Sally.”
Anderson’s book was also pulled from the Apple Books app but has since been restored.
Levine’s nomination to a top public health role runs at odds with the administration’s unofficial slogan to “Believe in Science.”
Levine botched the coronavirus response in Pennsylvania and promoted the idea that Americans ought to be wearing masks through the end of 2021, an anti-science statement in line with remarks from Anthony Fauci, teeing up the idea that Americans ought to wear face masks forever.
Levine’s appointment to the senior post, however, marks another progressive win for the identity politics-obsessed Democratic administration choosing a transgender person for the role.
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This article first appeared February 25, 2021 at The Federalist and is reproduced with permission.
