Reed said in a video conference on Feb. 9 that closure of the clinic, where she worked for four years, seems to be the only way to ensure that children are no longer harmed there.
In a letter to officials connected to the center, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said, “If even a fraction of the whistleblower’s new allegations is corroborated, the Center should be immediately shut down.”
In a letter to Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, Reed advocated for a national moratorium on medical procedures for transgender minors because of “the secrecy and lack of rigorous standards that characterize youth gender transition across the country.”
No Additional Statement From University
In the sworn statement filed with Bailey’s office, Reed said the St. Louis center continued prescribing gender-transitioning medications even after parents revoked consent and after adverse effects. She also described other practices that she said were disturbing, inappropriate, and harmful to children.“We are taking this matter very seriously and have already begun the process of looking into the situation to ascertain the facts,” the university stated. “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.”
Julie Hail Flory, a spokeswoman for the university, told The Epoch Times in a Feb. 10 email that the university had nothing additional to say.Responding to the university’s statement, Bailey sent a letter to Trish Lollo, St. Louis Children’s Hospital president, and Andrew Martin, Washington University chancellor.
“Given your agreement that these allegations are alarming and warrant thorough investigation, the Center should not continue prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to new patients while these investigations progress,” the letter reads.
He wants to know by Feb. 14 whether the center will comply with that request “to ensure that no more children are harmed during the pendency of these investigations.” Bailey is also asking to receive a copy of the internal investigation when it’s complete.
His investigation is focusing on whether hundreds of children were harmed. Two other agencies are also investigating whether medical personnel should face discipline or whether procedures were inappropriately billed to government programs.
Calling Reed’s account “extraordinary,” Hawley said her report “presented substantial evidence that, like so many other pediatric gender clinics across the United States, this Missouri-based clinic appears to have been operating without transparency, oversight, and accountability—and causing devastating harm to children in the process.”
“Accountability is coming,” he said.
His office immediately began investigating the center’s treatment practices, which allegedly included “manipulation of minors and their parents by professionals at the Center.”
Reed’s report “builds on revelations that the Center counseled authorities to conceal information from parents regarding their children’s cross-gender identification,” Hawley said.
“Encouraging teachers to lie to children’s parents is unconscionable,” Hawley said.
He then directed the center to “immediately” answer questions about the number of minors treated at the center, the types of treatment they received, complication rates, and other information.
“What policy, if any, does the Center have to inform minor patients and their parents about the known medical risks associated with gender-related treatment?” Hawley asked.
