Children aren’t allowed to buy cigarettes, drive cars, enter into contracts, or even have an aspirin at school without parental consent. But according to “Rachel” Levine, Joe Biden’s choice for assistant secretary of health at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), so-called “transgender treatments” for children are a-okay.
Most people find this outrageous, of course. Among them is world famous pediatric neurosurgeon and ex-presidential candidate Ben Carson, who in a recent interview called such life-rending treatments “child abuse.”
Given the radical position taken by Levine — a man (birth name: Richard) who dresses in feminine clothes and claims womanhood — it’s no surprise that Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) asked him about the matter Thursday during Levine’s confirmation hearings for elevation to HHS. It’s also perhaps no surprise that the nominee dodged the question.
It’s in addition no surprise that the mainstream media dodged the truth and performed some “incident transition surgery” on the story.
Paul opened his question talking about how child genital mutilation is condemned by authorities worldwide. His point was that if genital mutilation — practiced in the Islamic world — is wrong when Muslims do it, why is it okay for Westerners to engage in it? Note that as in the West, the mutilation is often not forcibly compelled in Islamic lands, Paul pointed out, but is dictated by what’s socially acceptable.
After framing his question further, he then asked Levine, “Do you believe that minors are capable of making such a life-changing decision as changing one’s sex?”
“Transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field with complex and robust research and standards of care that have been developed,” Levine responded. “And if I’m fortunate enough to be confirmed as the assistant secretary of health, I will look forward to working with you and your office, and coming to your office and discussing the particulars of the standards of care for ‘transgender’ medicine.”
I guess this is the government appointee version of Nancy Pelosi’s “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it” line.
After noting that Levine didn’t answer the question, Paul then posed another: “Do you support the government intervening to override the parent’s consent to give a child puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and/or amputation surgery of breasts and genitalia?”
Broken-record style, Levine’s “answer” was essentially the same as his first (video below).
The initial part of Levine’s response is a lie. Made-up Sexual Status (MUSS, or “transgender”) -agenda research, far from being “robust,” is spun more than a whirling dervish. As I’ve reported before, there’s no good science behind the MUSS movement.
As for “standards of care,” yes, they exist — they’re just lousy. There is no brain scan, or genetic or blood-chemistry test, performed on sex-confused children to “confirm” that their problem has a biological basis, as the MUSS activists claim.
Rather, a “gender dysphoria” diagnosis is made solely based on feelings. It’s a bit like a physician cutting open your chest and performing a triple-bypass simply based on a claim that you “feel” you have advanced heart disease.
Levine’s broken-record routine was also profoundly disrespectful, just one step above putting your thumbs in your ears, fluttering your fingers and saying “Nah-nah-nah nah-nah naah!” As Paul pointed out, as I’ve reported, and as National Review just documented, many youths have had so-called “gender-reassignment treatments,” suffered irreparable harm, and regretted their “decisions.” And such kids have a tragically high suicide rate.
Note, too, National Review points out, that there “are currently 40+ transgender-youth clinics (and counting) in the United States.”
In other words, Paul’s question not only was legitimate, but obligatory to ask for anyone interviewing Levine for the “job.” But not according to the mainstream media, which launched ad hominem attacks against the senator and wrote deceitful headlines.
“1st transgender nominee deflects inflammatory questions from GOP senator,” ABC News wrote. And going full incident-transition, The Daily Beast roared, “Rand Paul Launches Into Transphobic Rant Against Trans Nominee.”
Then there’s The Washington Post’s Monica Hesse. In a Friday piece entitled “Rand Paul’s ignorant questioning of Rachel Levine showed why we need her [sic] in government,” she wrote that Levine came to the “confirmation hearing prepared to politely discuss matters such as the covid pandemic, the opioid epidemic, behavioral health and racial disparities in medical treatment.”
“Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), however, seemed more interested in talking about children’s genitals.”
Well, poor baby. How tragic that Levine, a pediatrician, wasn’t “prepared” to discuss the officially sanctioned mutilation of minors’ bodies, something that Hesse apparently thinks is no big deal.
But the mainstream media’s prejudice was showing. They essentially claim that Paul was treating Levine differently because of the latter’s MUSS status. “It’s transphobia!” they bellow. Yet the senator’s question would be relevant for any nominee who, like Levine, has advocated a serious and increasingly common form of pediatric medical malpractice.
So by implying that Levine should receive a special dispensation from such a question, it is the mainstream media that are treating him differently.
But this prejudice accounts for his nomination in the first place. Note here that since Levine has his own Andrew Cuomo-like nursing home scandal, some might say he shouldn’t be considered for a higher government post, but for negligent manslaughter charges. Moreover, while asserting that his sexual confusion should disqualify him from HHS could get you cancelled, it’s that very quality that got him chosen. It’s MUSS over merit.
As for Hesse, in mocking Paul’s concern about “children’s genitals,” she was (probably instinctively) using a common leftist tactic: flipping the script. That is, the Left will launch a whole new movement and attack a status quo; when conservatives respond and play defense, and only defense, leftists then accuse them of being obsessed (with liberals’ own new obsession).
In the case here, leftists sexualize everything, including children, and try to normalize this bizarre notion that minors can embark upon MUSS “transition.” And when conservatives dare complain and push back, they’re condemned as having some salacious fixation. It’s a bit like continually raining down punches on some hapless soul minding his own business and then, when he finally raises his arms to block, exclaiming, “Why are you so violent!”
This is just another good reason to not play defense, but take the offense. Dr. Ben Carson made this very point on Friday’s edition of SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily with host Alex Marlow. Saying that MUSS activists “have completely neglected biology” and calling their pediatric prescriptions “child abuse,” the famed physician then outlined the cure for conservatives’ cancel-culture-induced fear of speaking out.
“‘Well, you know, it’s in our national anthem and the last line of the first stanza,” Breitbart reports him as stating. “‘It says, ‘the land of the free and the home of the brave.’ You cannot be the land of the free if you’re not the home of the brave. You’ve got to be willing to stand up.’”
And if you can’t stand up for children, Dr. Levine, step off. Abusing yourself was bad enough. Leave the kids alone.
