September 22, 2022 - 1:30pm
Healthcare in the United States is big business, and that includes gender clinics. For all their faults — I reported on them recently — NHS Gender identity Clinics are free at point of use. Not so in the US. The patient (or their insurance company) pays.
The Clinic for Transgender Health at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee got on the gravy train in November 2018. Assistant Professor Dr. Shane Taylor explained that “these surgeries make a lot of money” and charged “female to male chest reconstruction” at $40,000, while a patient “just on routine hormone treatment that we’re only seeing a few times a year could bring in several thousand dollars”.
According to Taylor, gender reassignment surgeries — “huge money makers” — could support an entire clinic. “These surgeries are labour intensive,” she said, requiring “a lot of follow up time and they make money for the hospital”. Up to $100,000 each was her estimate.
What is the target market? According to an archive copy of Vanderbilt’s website, Taylor’s “areas of expertise” include Adolescent LGBT Health Pediatric General Practice.
A cursory inspection of Vanderbilt’s website gives no indication of their services for under-18s. In fact the clinic’s web pages are currently unavailable following recent media scrutiny in the United States. Archived copies, however, provide a chilling insight into what might have been going on. The Pediatric Transgender Clinic at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital has been offering ‘gender affirming hormone therapy’ and pubertal blocking. A video clip that emerged this week appeared to suggest that Vanderbilt clinicians would perform “top surgery”, i.e., mastectomy, on teenage girls who had not reached the age of “majority”.
The row in the US is intense and further developments are likely now that Republican politicians are on the case. Congressman John Rose could not be clearer as he called for an investigation: “Children are being permanently, physically altered for financial gain – it is inexcusable.”
But this is an issue that is split down political lines, and more so than in the UK. Randal Cooper, Democratic Party challenger for Rose’s district in Tennessee, retorted: “Here’s my opponent, playing to the extreme right wing by attacking children and healthcare workers.”
I suspect that Cooper — like Rose — thinks that he is doing the right thing, but he is going to have to offer more than ad hominems if he is to help the children that he accuses Rose of attacking. What was once a niche psychiatric condition affecting a tiny number of adults, has become a major issue among young people.
Never before have doctors administered cross-sex hormones to young people who were unhappy with their sexed bodies, nor have they removed healthy organs from them. Rose is right, and Cooper is wrong: this is not about Right-wing or the Left-wing issue; this is about children and Vanderbilt needs to be prepared to answer for their actions.
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SubscribeI hope those performing these horrific surgeries will one day be held accountable. This is akin to the sexual experimentation that was performed on children during their internment in German concentration camps.
Well not exactly.
In the German concentration camps the victims had no choice and the surgery was free.
In these US cases the patients are willing, eager and paying up to $100,000.
They are not paying for it. You and I are through increased insurance premiums.
The entire trans movement is primarily a war on language, as Spencer Klavan so succinctly put it. If you’re against mutilating childrens’ bodies, you’re “attacking children and healthcare workers.” And by healthcare, we mean mutilation and puberty blocking. The best and most righteous defense is to refuse to cede one inch in the language battles. Most of these people back down when they realize it could affect their bottom line. They’re cowards who are emboldened by the soft media treatment.
This exactly.
Which is what ‘Posie Parker’ has been doing in the UK – not ceding one inch in the language battle. I used to think she was too extreme. Now I understand.
Absolutely correct. This is why I refer to surgeons who cut off girls’ tits and castrate boys as sadistic paedophiles.
There you go again.
You seem obsessed.
Er, that’s not quite what I meant.
At some point the detransitioners will sue hospitals and medical practitioners for this malpractice. Surprised it isn’t happening already.
It is happening. Keira Bell.
Agreed, and sooner rather than later. With America being a very litigious society, and with lots of lawyers and lots of money to be made, it will be the huge lawsuit settlements that will put an end to these horrible practices.
At some point the transitioners will be doing the seeing, when they realize what’s been done to them.
apparently there are 1000 law suits against Tavistock already.
No, not 1000 law suits, it’s one law suit, a group medical negligence claim.
The families are represented by law firm Pogust Goodhead, which specialises in large-scale group litigation, and whose motto is ‘Making the world a better place one case at a time’.
Profitable business for medical clinics specialising in this sort of business until the lawyers become involved and then it will be the lawyers turn to make out like bandits. No doubt the insurers will take the hit so the doctors won’t do so badly at the end of the day.
The only losers will be the mutilated detransitioners.
Funny old world. At 17 you cannot f… a prince, but you can have your breasts removed.
These same man buns and bug-eyed blue hairs are against circumcision. And “chemicals” everywhere but in their Big Pharma pills!
Your comment deserves many, many upvotes.
Which U.S. children’s hospital will be crowned the American Tavistock Clinic? What happened at the Tavistock is mild when compared to the actions of children’s hospitals in the U.S. That’s because of the amount of money that doctors, clinics, hospitals and pharmaceuticals can make off of medicalizing and mutilating children. Creating patients for life.
Boston Childrens Hospital.
Who rises to the top? The go along to get along types, and those of just above average intelligence. So you get this cheerleader, rah-rahing for this money making opportunity.
She goes home, having got kudos at her job, praised and full. Why look at anything profound, like duties to others, or even duty to her Hippocratic oath? Sorry, but this Girl Boss Doctor has her medical school certificate, so she already does the H.O. perfectly, now, duh?! And she is responsible to HER kids and HER family, and she is very busy now, and what degrees do YOU have to challenge HER?
This reminds me to STAY OUT OF THE SYSTEM. However, most of us can’t. I think about the woman “with two degrees” in a town I lived in, in charge of helping dual diagnosed (alcohol addiction and profound mental illness) manage housing, money and daily life. “Two Degrees” felt that HER day was a success when she met with them and asked them to “tell [her] one good thing that has happened today,” a tale she excitedly related whenever anybody got too close to making her feel responsible about her ACTUAL job, which was not to feel like a success.
The world is filled with narcissistic and borderline stupid and venal people who have “ a degree” and therefore feel that they are suited and deserving of their positions of POWER, and pfff, RESPONSIBILITY be darned. WHATEVER, ya know? Duh! It is all about the POWER and the shots to THEIR self esteem. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. To retirement and vacation days until recompensed retirement.
Higher Education is much like what you describe too. Many muddled mid-wits.
“Top Surgery” is so cute. Like buying tops. What fun! It is a mastectomy, to use the most clinical term, since breast amputation would be too triggering.
And we all get to be so understanding and pious, doing our Transian (not Christian) duty, supporting them. Oh, people might have to deal with pain and tons of revisions with pseudo p—-s construction? Oh, that is sad, but I now have to go save the climate, or Ukraine, or support Venezuelans with cheap cereal and wishing them good luck at the military base. Then there is my business, my gym and well, there are OTHERS who will take up the baton I dropped, certainly! Be sure to let me know on FB when I need to address Trans Rights with a picture again! Byeeeee!
Heartfelt thanks to Dr Hayton and many others who are highlighting this scandal.
Well, it’s always been a money grab, from the first days of generally available “sex change” in the fifties. Of course the terminology has changed, and now we have “gender reassignment”, a bizarre, opaque euphemism for something that was impossible in the first place. Mutilation is the reality behind the glamorous language. The campaign in the schools is obviously nothing but advertising, Those who are permitting it have a lot to answer for. Create confusion in their minds to herd their bodies into the operating theater. Never better said. What a disgusting spectacle.
I am a patient at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. I had a cancerous kidney removed August,2021. I went in for my 1 year check-up last Thursday. I was horrified at hearing about this transgender nonsense on the radio on my way home. Due to complications, my next appointment is in January. I also have a cardiac echocardiogram and an appointment with my cardiologist scheduled. I will be cancelling these appointments and will NEVER set foot in another Vanderbilt medical facility. My doctors are wonderful, competent providers whom I hate to give up. However, I just cannot patronize a medical facility that is mutilating children. What they are doing to these children is NOT medical care but unbridled perversity.
“…what might have been going on.”
“…appeared to suggest…”
Digging deep and scraping the bottom of the barrel.