Seattle Children’s Hospital is standing by its “mission” of providing gender-affirming surgeries for children, which they say is “lifesaving” care.
Many of these irreversible surgeries consist of removing healthy tissue and leaving the patients permanently sterilized.
The pediatric hospital has a section on its website specifically devoted to gender-affirming surgeries.
“Seattle Children’s is the only pediatric academic medical center with fellowship-trained plastic surgeons who provide gender-affirming surgery in our region — Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho,” the website says. “We treat teens and young adults who are patients of Seattle Children’s Gender Clinic. We also accept patients who are receiving gender-affirming care through providers outside of Seattle Children’s.”
While the hospital claims to only perform genital surgeries on patients over 18, the Seattle Children’s Gender Clinic page states that they accept patients as young as nine years old for other treatments.
The page says that they offer puberty blockers, “gender-affirming hormones,” “gender-affirming surgeries,” “brief mental health support,” and a partnership with the Autism Center.
Speaking to the Daily Caller, a spokesperson for the hospital stood by the practice of mutilating minors.
“We will continue to offer evidence-based gender-affirming care because it is lifesaving care and is aligned with our mission to help every patient live their healthiest and most fulfilling life possible,” a Seattle Children’s spokesman told the Daily Caller. “Seattle Children’s providers are specifically trained to care for the unique needs of adolescents, teens and young adults. This allows our team to offer personalized care that is tailored to meet each patient’s individual needs and goals.”
The “Surgical Gender Affirmation Program” at Seattle Children’s says it “treats teens and young adults” with gender identity issues through “complex procedures, including face and neck surgery, top surgery (breast/chest), bottom surgery (genitals) and body contouring.”
The public denounced these procedures at other children’s hospitals in the U.S., including Boston Children’s Hospital which offered vaginoplasty surgery to 17-year-olds, before updating its guidance to reflect that “you must be at least 18 years old and meet criteria.” The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) arrested 37-year-old Catherine Leavy, charging her with one count of explosive materials – willfully making a false bomb threat. She allegedly called Boston Children’s and said, “There is a bomb on the way to the hospital, you better evacuate everybody you sickos,” according to the DOJ.
While defending these irreversible surgeries as “lifesaving care,” the hospital decried the public action against other facilities also operating on children with sexuality and gender identity issues in its statement to the Daily Caller.
“Seattle Children’s stands with the Children’s Hospital Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics in condemning all violence and threats against any hospital or institution or that provides evidence-based gender-affirming care,” a hospital spokesman told the Daily Caller. “As providers of this care, we are witnessing firsthand the negative impact this is having on the wellbeing of our transgender and gender-diverse patients and their families, as well as our healthcare providers. Above all, we are committed to keeping our staff, patients and families safe.”
