The Gateway Pundit reported in September that Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) was under fire after the Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh published a video of a Vanderbilt doctor calling transgender surgeries “huge money makers.”
On Friday, officials at VUMC announced a pause on gender-affirming surgeries for minors to allow time for a review of their practices.
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On September 28th, a letter to Vanderbilt was signed by 62 state Tennessee House members, and posted to Twitter by Republican Rep. Jason Zachary, requesting the immediate halt all gender transitioning surgeries on minors.
“The Vanderbilt Pediatric Transgender Clinic’s practices qualify as nothing less than abuse,” the letter stated.
“We, the elected representative body of the state of Tennessee, ask members of the VUMC Board of Directors to take immediate action by halting all permanent gender transitioning surgeries being performed on minor children,” the letter continued.
Officials at Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced Friday that they are pausing gender-affirming surgeries for minors in order to review their practices.AP reports:
The news, delivered in a letter sent to a lawmaker who has demanded an end to the surgeries, was publicly released Friday afternoon. It comes amid mounting political pressure from Tennessee’s Republican leaders — many of whom are running for reelection — who called for an investigation into the private nonprofit hospital after videos surfaced on social media last month of a doctor touting that gender-affirming procedures are “huge money makers.” Another video showed a staffer saying anyone with a religious objection should quit.
None of the politicians could point to a specific law that the hospital had violated, and no agency to date has committed to an investigation. Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s office said they had passed their concerns to the Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, but his office has not commented on whether he is looking into the Nashville-based hospital.
“We are pausing gender affirmation surgeries on patients under age 18 while we complete this review, which may take several months,” wrote C. Wright Pinson, VUMC’s deputy CEO and chief health system officer.
On October 7th, Dr. C. Wright Pinson, Deputy CEO and Chief Health Systems Officer at VUMC, sent a letter to lawmakers announcing the pause.
“You have asked that VUMC halt permanent gender affirmation surgeries being performed on minorchildren. On September 6, 2022, WPATH published a new version of its recommendations to health care professionals for treatment of transgender persons, known as SOC-8. In light of these new recommendations, and as part of completing our internal clinical review of the SOC-8 guidance in patients under 18. we will be seekine advice from local and national clinical experts, We are pausinggender affirmation surgeries on patients under age 18 while we complete this review, which may take several months.”
“In addition, we understand this issue is likely to be taken up by the General Assembly in its next legislative session. As always. we will assure that VUMC’s programs comply with any new requirements which may be established as a part of Tennessee law.”
“I trust this letter has been responsive to the concerns which have been surfaced to you and your colleagues.”
