(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) U.S. Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine called out the “political perversion” of medicine and science during a conference in Texas this weekend, displaying what some critics called an astonishing lack of self-awareness.
The lack of self awareness is astounding
— Following Science (@Asuther42866916) February 17, 2023
While speaking at Texas Christian University’s Out for Health Conference in Fort Worth, Levine, who identifies as a transgender female, claimed that doctors must become outspoken advocates for their transgender patients, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Levine also called on state-level governments to push legislation permitting transgender health practices.
The speech began with Levine reminding the audience of the Hippocratic Oath’s promise to “do no harm.”
It then went on to accuse the opponents of the LGBT agenda of “perverting” science and politics “in ways that destroy human lives,” while painting them as cold and soulless, lacking in all empathy and compassion.
“Even after decades of progress, the most vulnerable among us continue to suffer: LGBTQI+ individuals of color, LGBTQI+ youth, LGBTQI+ seniors, and LGBTQI+ immigrants,” Levine said.
The four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps then pushed the unsustantiated claim that without some kind of support for gender-transition surgeries and other chemical therapies, young people afflicted with gender dysphoria will inevitably commit suicide.
“I want to point out—this is a very important point—that if you’re an LGBTQIA+ child, adolescent or teenager having mental health challenges, the difference between life and death is often a single caring adult,” Levine said.
Without mentioning any government officials by name, Levine said those working to limit access to “gender-affirming” care are rejecting “well-established” medical care tactics and accused them of pushing “slander, bigotry and gender-baiting hate speech.”
Levine continued to defend the little-studied effects of transgender surgeries, using statistics from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, which offers no long-term analysis of the matter.
“Gender-affirming care is medical care. It is mental health care. It is suicide prevention care,” Levine insisted. “It improves quality of life, and it saves lives. It is based on decades of study. It is a well-established medical practice.”
After the speech, Levine encouraged people who are denied gender affirming care to levy a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.
The Out for Health Conference is an annual event organized by medical students in Texas and hosted by several universities.
