The administration is covering up records.
A watchdog group, Judicial Watch, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to obtain records related to communications by Assistant Secretary for Health, Rachel Levine. The lawsuit comes after a report suggested that Levine’s team influenced an international medical group to remove age restrictions for gender-transition surgeries and other medical interventions for minors. Judicial Watch filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after HHS failed to respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made in July.
The FOIA request sought all communications involving Levine concerning the removal of age limits in the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s (WPATH) 2022 Standards of Care. WPATH had initially included minimum age requirements for puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender surgeries, but these guidelines were later removed. Reports indicated that Levine supported removing the age limits to protect doctors from potential lawsuits. The communications were cited in a federal lawsuit challenging Alabama’s restrictions on gender-transition procedures for minors.
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton criticized Levine, accusing her of promoting extreme transgender policies and advocating for surgeries on minors. Fitton claimed that the Biden administration is attempting to hide these actions, and his organization’s lawsuit is necessary to reveal the truth and safeguard children.
The controversy arose in part from a June 24 Alabama court filing, which suggested that Levine’s influence led WPATH to remove the age guidelines, against the preferences of some committee members. The issue gained attention after psychologist Dr. James Cantor testified that WPATH was pressured to alter its standards based on political motivations rather than scientific evidence.
Federal officials initially stated that the Biden administration opposed gender-transition surgeries for minors, but their stance on puberty blockers and hormones remained unclear. Following pushback from LGBT advocacy groups, the administration clarified its support for gender-affirming care, with Biden’s Domestic Policy Council Director, Neera Tanden, emphasizing the administration’s opposition to laws limiting such care.
