APP Cheers New HHS Rule: “Sex” Means Biological Sex
WASHINGTON – Today, President Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new proposed rule revising a previous Obama-era rule which had unreasonably broadened the definition of “sex” in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act to include “termination of pregnancy” and subjective “gender identity.” The Obama-era rule — which had been blocked by a federal court — threatened to force medical providers to facilitate abortions and sex-change procedures against their consciences.
In response, Terry Schilling, executive director at American Principles Project, released the following statement cheering the HHS proposal:
Regardless of your politics, the idea that doctors should be forced by law to perform abortions and sex-change surgeries on any patient who requests these controversial procedures is absolutely insane.
Not only did President Obama’s immoral ACA rule violate fundamental American freedoms, it also set a terrible precedent for medical care. Despite the shameful efforts of authoritarian ideologues on the Left to stifle debate, our society is still engaged in an active conversation about how best to care for individuals suffering from gender dysphoria.
The best research shows that sex-reassignment surgery does not provide long-term relief. Those who have had sex-reassignment surgery are still nineteen times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. We wouldn’t accept such a dangerous result for any other medical treatment.
It is horribly wrong for government to force doctors to disregard their consciences to the point of violating their hippocratic oath. Kudos to President Trump and HHS for standing up for doctors and for biological reality over a dangerous ideology.
To schedule an interview with an APP policy expert, contact Paul Dupont at (o) 202-503-2010 or pdupont@americanprinciplesproject.org.