Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) sent a letter to Dr. Kurt Newman, President and CEO of the Children's National Hospital, expressing concerns about "the erosion of parents' rights" and the use of "life-altering, irreversible medical interventions on children" at the hospital’s Youth Pride Clinic. In the letter, Chairwoman Foxx demands answers to several questions about how the hospital interacts with parents and children in these matters.
In the letter, Foxx writes: "Unfortunately, there are people who want to override parents' decisions. Their efforts result in the erosion of parents' rights to make medical decisions for their children. … I write to seek information and answers to several questions related to the Children’s National Hospital (Hospital) Youth Pride Clinic (Clinic), promoted as 'one of the few clinics in the nation providing comprehensive primary and mental healthcare to LGBTQ youth and young adults between the ages of 12 to 22.'"
Foxx continues:"The website for the Clinic states that your primary and specialty care teams provide, among other things, '[h]ormone replacement therapy.' There is no mention of any parental consent requirement for such therapy or for other medical services provided to youth who have not reached the age of majority. … The lack of any public reference on the Clinic’s web page to parental consent is concerning since the Clinic treats youth between the ages of 12-17. While the Clinic may obtain consent on a case-by-case basis, the lack of any reference to parental consent is troubling."
Foxx concludes:"Specifically, I am concerned about the use of life-altering, irreversible medical interventions on children with healthy bodies. Parents are a key part of any medical decisions for their children: parents have the right and responsibility to make medical decisions for their children, and they should be free to do so without undue pressure or interference from medical establishments."
