Recently unearthed emails indicate that Planned Parenthood and the Biden administration’s Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine have been extensively involved in administering cross-sex hormones via LGBTQ groups and gender clinics.
These efforts were operationalized through the Transgender Health Working Group, spearheaded by Levine during her tenure as Pennsylvania’s secretary of health. During Levine’s tenure as PA’s secretary of health, she connected a local Planned Parenthood affiliate with other transgender clinics to facilitate cross-sex treatments.
The initiative resulted in a substantial increase in state funding for cross-sex treatments, including for children, aligning with Levine’s push towards these treatments. This move was criticized by the PA Family communications director, Dan Bartkowiak, who regarded it as “a dangerous ideology, far from any form of health care or medical science,” stating it has harmful and permanent effects on children.
The coordinated approach involved setting up observation sessions at different clinics, such as the Mazzoni Center in Philadelphia. By mid-2017, Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania (PPSP) began providing hormones at two clinics, praised by Levine as “great news.”
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), which offers gender transition services for children as young as eight, also showed willingness to collaborate.
The growth in patient visits post-collaboration remains uncertain, but PPSP’s website indicates a lengthy waiting period for new “gender-affirming care” patients. While the organization currently doesn’t prescribe hormones to minors, it’s considering offering such services in the future.
The collaboration also led to a series of meetings in 2017, involving LGBT advocacy groups and gender clinics, discussing topics ranging from physician training to transgender military participation. This further cements Planned Parenthood’s position as one of the largest providers of cross-sex hormones in the United States.
A former “reproductive health assistant,” as detailed by journalist Abigail Shrier , described “trans-identifying kids” as “cash cows,” given the long-term revenue they generate through consistent follow-ups and appointments.
During Levine’s time in the Pennsylvanian government (2015-2021), state spending on cross-sex medical procedures for individuals under 18 rose by about 5,000 percent. This sharp increase, seen as a prioritization of a “dangerous ideology” by critics like Bartkowiak, was achieved by blocking legislation that would have prevented taxpayer funding for child sex changes in 2017.
Levine’s tenure in the Biden administration has seen a continuation of support for child gender transitions, including endorsement of cross-sex biomedical interventions for children.
