Vanderbilt University Medical Center is suspending all permanent transgender operations on minors until futher notice.
The medical center will not provide sex reassignment surgery on children pending an internal review. This comes after a report from Matt Walsh revealed that Vanderbilt was providing “gender-affirming” services to children because it’s a “big money maker,” one of the clinic’s physicians said in a resurfaced video, which Townhall covered.
Vanderbilt opened its trans clinic in 2018. During a lecture the same year, Dr. Shayne Taylor explained how she convinced Nashville to get into the gender transition game. She emphasized that it's a "big money maker," especially because the surgeries require a lot of "follow ups" pic.twitter.com/zedM7HBCBe
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 20, 2022
After Walsh unveiled his team’s report about VUMC’s transgender clinic, Vanderbilt prompltly deleted the clinic’s entire webpage about these types of services, which also include hormone therapy treatment and puberty blockers.
BREAKING: After my report, Vanderbilt’s transgender clinic has deleted their entire website. Literally the whole thing. They’re removing everything. pic.twitter.com/9kAbORA7OY
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 21, 2022
In addition, VUMC published a statement claiming that Walsh’s reporting “misrepresented” facts about the clinic. However, Walsh's Twitter thread pulled straight from the clinic’s webpage and lectures from its physicians that were available on the internet.
ICYMI: Here's Vanderbilt University Medical Center's response to Matt Walsh's expose of the center's alarming rhetoric + policies related to transgender surgeries and procedures for minors. VUMC claims the posts and video "misrepresent facts." pic.twitter.com/gdDoqZOnMk
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) September 21, 2022
Lawmakers also chimed in. Following Walsh’s shocking Twitter thread, Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee called for an investigation of Vanderbilt’s pediatric transgender clinic.
“The ‘pediatric transgender clinic’ at Vanderbilt University Medical Center raises serious moral, ethical and legal concerns,” Lee said in a statement to The Daily Wire after the report. “We should not allow permanent, life-altering decisions that hurt children or policies that suppress religious liberties, all for the purpose of financial gain. We have to protect Tennessee children, and this warrants a thorough investigation.”
The governor of Tennessee is calling for an investigation into Vanderbilt after my report this afternoon. Legislators on the state and national level have also responded. We are not going to let up. We will shut this down.
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 21, 2022
Other state lawmakers reached out to Walsh about his reporting and began working on legislation to shut the clinic down. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration demanding an investigation into puberty blockers, one of the services provided to children at Vanderbilt’s clinic.
MAJOR UPDATE: I have met with Tennessee Rep William Lamberth and Sen Jack Johnson. We are working on a bill to shut down Vanderbilt’s child gender transition program and ban the practice in the state. Tennesseans do not want this barbarism in our state. We will put a stop to it.
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 21, 2022
Following my report on Vanderbilt, Senator @MarshaBlackburn has sent a letter to the FDA demanding an investigation into puberty blockers and their effects on children. We’re seeing action now on the federal and state level.
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 22, 2022
Late last week, a letter from VUMC to Tennessee Rep. Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) said that the center would cease all transgender operations on kids as it reviews guidelines from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (via The Tennessean):
In Friday's letter, VUMC said it began its Transgender Health Clinic in 2018, citing the high risk transgender people face for mental and physical health issues. In its patient population under age 18, VUMC said an average of five per year received "gender-affirming surgical procedures."
These were not genital procedures, the letter said.
"Contrary to some media reports, all were at least 16 years of age, none have received genital procedures and parental consent to these surgeries was obtained in all cases," VUMC's letter to Zachary states. "None of these surgeries have been paid for by state or federal funds; the revenues from this limited number of surgeries represent an immaterial percentage of VUMC's net operating revenue."
Zachary shared the letter announcing the pause, signed by VUMC's Deputy CEO and Chief Health System Officer Dr. C. Wright Pinson and dated Oct. 7. A spokesperson for VUMC confirmed the letter was valid but declined to comment further.
Zachary posted the letter on Twitter.
Please see Vanderbilt Medical’s response to the @tnhousegop.
— Rep. Jason Zachary (@JasonZacharyTN) October 7, 2022
VUMC has agreed to pause gender transition surgeries on minors as well as honor religious objectors. https://t.co/xXlbSaAOMS pic.twitter.com/4G8laJfQfY
After Walsh’s report came out, Vanderbilt University denied involvement with the clinic.
"Vanderbilt University Medical Center is a fully independent nonprofit and has been a separate legal entity from Vanderbilt University since 2016. As such, Vanderbilt University has no role in medical decisions and patient care," university spokesman John O'Brien told Fox News.
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