Vanderbilt kids' hospital ends trans surgeries one month before state ban takes effect
On June 1, the Vanderbilt children's hospital notified parents that it was discontinuing 'gender-affirming care' due to compliance with the new state law.
Following conservative commentator Matt Walsh's reporting on the school's transgender surgeries for minors, Tennessee elected to prohibit the procedures starting July 1.
The Pediatric Transgender Clinic at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) stopped serving patients on June 1, exactly one month before a Tennessee law banning child transgender surgeries would take effect.
VUMC halted all “gender-affirming care” for minors following a report and a series of tweets from Daily Wire host Matt Walsh last October that prompted Tennessee lawmakers to protect minors.
Parents of children receiving treatment through the Pediatric Transgender Center received an email informing them that the VUMC will stop serving patients after June 1.
[RELATED: Vanderbilt Medical Center opening ‘transgender health’ clinic]
The message stated, “Your current medication prescription is affected by the laws coming into effect regarding gender affirming care.”
“VUMC will not fulfill refill requests for medication prescribed for gender affirming care after June 1, 2023,” it continued. “All medications dispensed for gender affirming care must have a completion date that is prior to 7/1/23.”
Campus Reform spoke with Scott Newgent, an outspoken transgender activist who made an appearance in Matt Walsh’s documentary, What is a Woman?.
“As I did the process, I learned a couple of things … I learned that medical transitions are absolutely experimental. It is dangerous and it doesn’t cure anything,” Newgent stated.
“Unfortunately, LGBTQ has kind of PR’ed it around the idea that it has to do with human rights, it has to do with love, it has to do with acceptance, it has to do with diversity,” she added.
[RELATED: UPDATE: Vanderbilt University to stop gender transition surgery on minors]
The Tennessee law was signed by Governor Bill Lee on March 2 and “take[s] action to protect the health and welfare of minors.”
Doctors will be prohibited from providing “gender-affirming care” to children and can lose their licenses with the possibility of a $25,000 penalty if investigators find fault.
The bill also states that doctors are permitted to perform these medical services only if the patient’s treatment begins prior to the July 1 deadline.
Kylie Avery, a Senior Public Relations Specialist at VUMC, told Campus Reform: “Pertaining to gender-affirming care at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, we continue to fully comply with all federal and state laws and are carefully following the legal proceedings challenging the constitutionality of Tennessee’s new law.”
Campus Reform reached out to all relevant parties and will update this story accordingly.
