Washington D.C., Oct 14, 2016 / 02:08 am
A recent federal rule has come under fire for denying doctors the ability to exercise discretion in deciding whether to perform gender transition surgeries in particular cases.
The regulation requires doctors to perform the surgeries when asked to do so – including on children – even if it is their medical opinion that the procedure could end up harming the patient.
Dozens of lawmakers voiced their objections to the mandate, saying that it could end up harming the "most vulnerable."
"Children are some of the most vulnerable in our population, and this rule strips doctors of their ability to counsel and advise the best course of medical care in their professional judgment if they believe gender transition procedures to be harmful," an Oct. 7 letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell from 47 members of Congress stated.