Rachel Levine, assistant secretary for health in the Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), argued that children should not have to wait until they’re adults to undergo cross-sex treatments in a recent ABC “Nightline” interview.
“Nightline” host Juju Chang asked Levine, who is male and identifies as a transgender woman, to address the argument that children should wait until they turn 18 to undergo cross-sex procedures in an interview shared Friday. Levine argued that going through puberty while struggling with one’s gender identity is difficult and that cross-sex interventions were a form of necessary medical care that could prevent suicide. (RELATED: Biden Admin Debuts ‘Pride’ Web Series With Rachel Levine, Trans Activist Pushing Sex Changes, Singing About Gender)
“Adolescence is hard and puberty is hard,” Levine said. “What if you’re going through the wrong puberty? What if you inside feel that you are female but now you’re going through a male puberty?”
WATCH:
Levine argued that cross-sex medical procedures aren’t performed on pre-pubescent children, pointing to medical guidelines that advise medical professionals to offer gender-confused children therapy after the onset of puberty. While this is technically true, guidelines from the World Professional Association of Transgender Health advise doctors to offer puberty blockers to children at the earliest stage of puberty, which can be followed up with cross-sex hormones and surgeries.
“Gender-affirming care is medical care. Gender-affirming care is mental health care. Gender-affirming care is literally suicide prevention care,” Levine told Chang.
Levine, who transitioned as an adult after marrying a woman and having children, previously expressed gratitude for having waited until adulthood to transition because it meant having a family; cross-sex hormones and surgeries can permanently sterilize patients.
Levine did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Megan Brock contributed to this report.
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