Missouri Senator Josh Hawley has launched an investigation into the Washington University Pediatric Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, following allegations of potential malpractice, according to a report from The Hill.
In a letter sent to the hospital’s leadership, Sen. Hawley demanded the preservation of all records related to “gender-related treatments” performed on minors since the center’s opening.
Sen. Hawley’s investigation was prompted by a report by a former case manager of the center, Jamie Reed, which claimed that the center’s treatment of minors was “morally and medically appalling.”
In his letter to Washington University in St. Louis Chancellor Andrew D. Martin, St. Louis Children’s Hospital President Trish M. Lollo and Drs. Christopher Lewis and Sarah Garwood, the co-directors of the hospital’s transgender center, Hawley expressed the need for accountability and asked the hospital’s leadership to provide him with information related to the treatment of transgender youth.
Information the Missousi senator is after must include the number of minors who have been prescribed puberty blockers and hormone therapy and the number of cases where “serious medical complications” have been reported.
Hawley’s office is also requesting information on the number and percentage of minors who have detransitioned and the sources of funding the center receives for “gender-related treatments.”
“Starting immediately, your institutions must take steps to preserve all records, written and electronic, regarding gender-related treatments performed on minors since the opening of the Center,” Hawley wrote in the letter. “Additional oversight inquiries and outreach will follow.”
The center is also being asked to prove that it has complied with federal conscience protections, including the Church Amendments of 1973.
In response to Hawley’s announcement, Washington University’s Chancellor, Andrew D. Martin, assured Hawley that the university will be cooperating fully with the inquiry.
The university released a statement on Thursday saying it was taking the matter seriously and had begun an investigation to ascertain the facts.
“We are taking this matter very seriously and have already begun the process of looking into the situation to ascertain the facts,” the university wrote. “As always, our highest priority is the health and well-being of our patients. We are committed to providing compassionate, family-centered care to all of our patients and we hold our medical practitioners to the highest professional and ethical standards.”
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey confirmed that a multi-agency investigation into the center had begun late last month when Reed provided his office with a sworn affidavit.
In a statement, Bailey said that the evidence was being taken seriously and that the investigation was aimed at ensuring that children were not harmed.
Missouri is one of 26 states that have introduced bills to ban gender-affirming health care for transgender youth this year, with at least 8 separate measures under consideration in the Missouri House and Senate.
Senator Hawley’s investigation into the Washington University Pediatric Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital highlights the growing concern over the treatment of transgender minors.
The outcome of the investigation will have far-reaching implications for the future of transgender health care in Missouri and across the country.
