East Central Reporter

U.S. Representative Mary Miller (R-IL) confronted Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra regarding the health risks associated with puberty blockers during a U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing.

She pressed Becerra telling him “People want to know the risks,” of using chemical castration drugs and puberty blockers on young adults and noted a July 2022 FDA warning.

“Your own FDA has admitted these puberty blockers cause brain swelling, brain tumors, vision, loss, even blindness,” Miller said during a hearing evaluating policies of the Department of Health and Human Services. “Why is the Biden Administration and your agency continuing to promote these blockers when you know that they’re harmful to children and young adults.” 

Despite the FDA's warnings, Becerra avoided directly answering the question and defended the use of these treatments by stating that medical professionals recommend them. Miller pressed further, emphasizing the need for transparency regarding the risks involved. In addition to the discussion on puberty blockers, Becerra evaded questions about his stance on firearm ownership for adults aged 18 to 20 while defending HHS' support for sex reassignment procedures for minors, asserting that everyone is entitled to healthcare.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been criticized for his position on parental notification for abortion and gender reassignment surgery for minors. In last year’s gubernatorial debates, GOP challenger Darren Bailey argued that parents should have the authority to make decisions about their children's healthcare, rather than doctors, teachers, or governors, Prairie State Wire reported. Pritzker, through a non-profit foundation, has directly funded gender reassignment at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. The hospital was accused of promoting gender ideology and providing materials to schools promoting radical gender theory. Billboard Chris, a father who opposes gender ideology, protested outside the hospital, claiming that children cannot give informed consent to the use of puberty blockers and that gender ideology is based on stereotypes. Additionally, documents released by Manhattan Institute Fellow Chris Rufo alleged that Lurie Children's Hospital distributed materials promoting gender theory and sexually explicit content in several Chicago-area school systems.

Other states have blocked sex changes in children. Earlier this year Florida has become the eighth state to impose restrictions on sex changes for children including the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy, according to NBC News. 

The Florida Board of Medicine implemented a rule prohibiting minors from starting such treatments. The rule also prohibits gender-affirming operations for all minors. The measure has sparked a legal challenge from parents. That law has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge. Judge Robert Hinkle said, "Gender identity is real." The restrictions on sex change operations, procedures, and medications are part of a broader effort in Florida to limit such treatment of children, including a ban on Medicaid coverage for gender dysphoria treatments and a proposed bill in the Legislature that would further restrict care for minors and bar state funds from covering transition-related care for patients of any age.