Pediatricians Respond to HHS Assistant Secretary Levine: Gender Transition Surgeries are Harmful to Kids

4 May 2022

Media Contact: 

Quentin L. Van Meter, MD, FCP, President

connect@acpeds.org 

(352) 376-1877

Gainesville, FL—  In a recent NPR interview, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary Rachel Levine stated that, “There is no argument among medical professionals – pediatricians, pediatric endocrinologists, adolescent medicine physicians, adolescent psychiatrists, psychologists, etc. – about the value and the importance of gender-affirming care.”

 Dr. Quentin Van Meter, President of the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds), released the following statement in response:

 “The American College of Pediatricians was founded to protect the health and well-being of children. None of our member pediatricians or health care professionals support social, medical, and surgical interventions which attempt to change the persona of the child to appear as the opposite sex. Each one of these modalities are proven to do far more harm than good. Instead of relying on the breadth of established scientific research, HHS Assistant Secretary Levine has obviously chosen to only rely on the weakest of references while ignoring the most valid science.”

Click here to view an related interview with Dr. Van Meter.

Read the full ACPeds position statement on Gender Dysphoria in Children.  

 If you would like to set up an interview with Dr. Quentin Van Meter, please contact connect@acpeds.org or call (352) 376-1877.

About the American College of Pediatricians

The American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) is a national medical association of licensed physicians and healthcare professionals who specialize in the care of infants, children, and adolescents. It was founded by a group of concerned physicians who saw the need for a pediatric organization that would not be influenced by the politically driven pronouncements of the day. The mission of the ACPeds is to enable all children to reach their optimal physical and emotional health and well-being. The ACPeds is committed to fulfilling its mission by producing sound policy, based upon the best available research, to assist parents and to influence society in the endeavor of childrearing.