Rand Paul for questioning the nominee for transgender health

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Her. Rand PaulRandal (Rand) Howard Paul The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by The AIDS Institute – Finger point to Capitol riot; GOP Refuses Biden Aid Plan Sanders Votes Against Biden USDA Nominee Vilsack Senate Confirms Vilsack As Agriculture Secretary MORE (R-Ky.) Criticized for questioning one of President BidenJoe BidenKlain on Manchin’s Objection to Neera Tanden: He’s ‘Not Answering Us in the White House’ Senators Won’t Get Timeline on Removing National Guard, Capitol Fence Overnight Defense: New Senate Armed Services Chairman Talks Pentagon Policy Nominee, Afghanistan, more | Biden reads report on Khashoggi murder | Austin Emphasizes Vaccine Safety in New Video MOREnominees for health, Rachel LevineRachel Levine Pete Buttigieg Represents Progress But The LGBTQ Community Needs More It’s Time To Support Science-Based Sex. A Biden nominee offers the opportunity to learn MORE from the transgender community, a former state health official who would be the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate.

Paul characterized gender-affirming care, including surgical treatment for transgender individuals, as “genital mutilation,” a description that is not supported by mainstream health care professionals.

“It is critical to me that our nominees are treated with respect and that our questions focus on their qualifications and the work ahead of us, rather than on ideological and harmful misrepresentations as we previously heard from Senator Paul” Sen said. Patty MurrayPatricia (Patty) Lynn Murray Biden Health Nominee For First Senate Test. Nocturnal Healthcare: US Surpasses Half Million COVID Deaths | House panel advance Biden’s .9T COVID-19 support bill | Johnson & Johnson ready to deliver doses to 20 million Americans in late March The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Mars rover prepares for landing MORE (D-Wash.), The chair of the Senate Health Committee, who considered Levine’s nomination Thursday.

Levine was nominated as assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Services, a role primarily overseeing the agency’s public health initiatives.

Levine, a pediatrician, was formerly secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health. While other senators questioned Levine about public health issues, including mental health and COVID-19, Paul focused on treating transgender youth.

Paul specifically said that Levine supports surgeries for transgender children, a misleading claim that has surfaced in conservative media and social media in recent days.

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health says genital surgery should not be performed until patients are adults. In 2015, Levine said at a public event that surgical treatment is not recommended before the age of 18. In 2017, she said there are “some procedures” that can be performed before the age of 18.

“Transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field with robust research and standards of care being developed,” Levine told Paul, although she did not specifically answer his question.

If confirmed, she added, she would like to discuss the standard of care for transgender people and minors.

Paul also criticized the use of reversible puberty blockers, which can be used for adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria as a way to give them time before making more permanent decisions in adulthood, such as surgery.

Research has shown that puberty blockers, which are reversible, can reduce suicidal thoughts during transgender adolescence.

Rand Paul chose dedication to anti-LGBTQ extremist groups over the substance and health of our nation and does not deserve to hold public office, ”said Ruben Gonzales, executive director of the LGBTQ Victory Institute.

His comments echo the points of discussion of the same organizations that said gay men deserved AIDS and that LGBTQ people should be criminalized. He explicitly attacked vulnerable trans youth for his own alleged political gain and it was a shame. Dr. Levine is an extraordinarily qualified candidate whose experience can help America effectively tackle this pandemic, but he took this opportunity to voice hate groups instead. “

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