Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), ranked the number one children’s hospital in the United States, touted “gender-affirming hysterectomies” in a video even though the patients it sees are children and young adults up to the age of 21.
According to the hospital’s website, BCH offers comprehensive medical care for children from birth through age 21 — and that includes certain “gender affirming” care for transgender youths as well.
“The Center for Gender Surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital offers gender affirmation surgery services to eligible adolescents and young adults who are ready to take this step in their journey,” the hospital’s website reads. “It is the first center of its kind in the U.S. in a major pediatric hospital setting.”
Pediatric gynecologist Frances Grimstad, MD, MS — who specializes in transgender reproductive health at Boston Children’s Hospital — explained in a video what a “gender-affirming hysterectomy” entailed.
Boston Children’s Hospital (@BostonChildrens) is now offering “gender affirming hysterectomies” for young girls pic.twitter.com/JOH5fFtGJ0
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 11, 2022
“A gender-affirming hysterectomy is very similar to most hysterectomies that occur,” she began. “A hysterectomy itself is the removal of the uterus, the cervix (which is the opening of the uterus) and the fallopian tubes which are attached to the sides of the uterus.”
“Some gender-affirming hysterectomies will also include the removal of the ovaries but that’s technically a separate procedure called a bilateral oophorectomy. And not every gender-affirming hysterectomy includes that, and people who are having gender-affirming hysterectomies do not have to have their ovaries removed,” she added.
Hysterectomies — whether for gender-affirming reasons or not — are not reversible and will render the patient permanently unable to bear children.
“A world renown pediatric facility proudly talking about removing the uteruses of healthy young girls in the name of gender affirming care is terrifying,” Erika Sanzi, director of outreach at nonprofit Parents Defending Education, told The National Desk.
According to the BCH website, children as young as 15 can go under the knife for breast augmentations or double mastectomies in the name of gender affirmation — with parental consent. At 17, a trans woman can receive a vaginoplasty — and at 18, a trans man can receive metoidioplasty or phalloplasty.
It’s unclear if the hospital offers the “gender-affirming” hysterectomies its doctor described, but the website describes offering “other” gender-affirming surgeries beyond those listed to eligible patients.
“‘Gender-affirming care’ is newspeak for permanently altering the bodies of kids & adults through drugs and surgery,” Delano Squires responded to the BCH video. “If you watch the vid with no sound, you’d assume this lady was talking about her love of classic literature. I’ll take a bulldog over a ‘winsome’ butcher any day.”
Another Twitter user added, “You can be upbeat, enthusiastic and smiley when it’s a ‘gender affirming’ hysterectomy you’re describing. A major operation that will leave you infertile is promoted as if it’s a fun makeover.”
A previous version of this article stated BCH was offering “gendering-affirming” hysterectomies to kids who couldn’t legally drink. It has been revised to say BCH was promoting these procedures.