Discussion · House of Representatives
Sara Jacobs Democrat
“I oppose this amendment. Congress should not ban gender-affirming medical care for troops and their families. Doctors, not politicians, should make medical decisions.”
“Mr. Chair, I don’t believe that 435 Members of Congress should play pretend doctor and try to decide the medical care of servicemembers or their children that we have never met. In fact, even the physicians in this body know that there is a legal and ethical standard: that a doctor has to establish a patient-physician relationship, like an evaluation or an exam before prescribing care. None of us should be overriding the actual doctors who decide what kind of care is and isn’t necessary. For the record, every major medical association in this country, representing over 1.3 million American doctors, recognizes that trans healthcare and gender-affirming care is safe, effective, and medically necessary. Prescribing any kind of care, whether it is puberty blockers or hormones or anything else, doesn’t happen on a whim. It is after a rigorous, deliberate, multi-step physical and psychological evaluation by doctors. Here is the worst part about all this, the double standard at the heart of this amendment: Gender-affirming care is standard evidence- based care. In fact, the military relies on it for cisgender troops: troops with thyroid conditions, low testosterone, or other hormone needs. They just made a whole new policy about it. My colleague literally said: It is to make sure someone is more masculine. Making someone who is masculine more masculine is literally the definition of affirming one’s gender with gender-affirming care. The same medical treatment can’t strengthen readiness for a cis man and hurt readiness when a trans servicemember or our military families need it. A blanket ban on healthcare is a cruel punishment for kids. Denying them mental health care and therapy is especially disgusting when they are more likely to feel alone and isolated because of the vitriol they hear from people in this very body, people in power like my colleagues. We are better than this. Our troops are better than this. Our troops deserve better than this.”
Mr. Chair, I don’t believe that 435 Members of Congress should play pretend doctor and try to decide the medical care of servicemembers or their children that we have never met. In fact, even the physicians in this body know that there is a legal and ethical standard: that a doctor has to establish a patient-physician relationship, like an evaluation or an exam before prescribing care. None of us should be overriding the actual doctors who decide what kind of care is and isn’t necessary. For the record, every major medical association in this country, representing over 1.3 million American doctors, recognizes that trans healthcare and gender-affirming care is safe, effective, and medically necessary. Prescribing any kind of care, whether it is puberty blockers or hormones or anything else, doesn’t happen on a whim. It is after a rigorous, deliberate, multi-step physical and psychological evaluation by doctors. Here is the worst part about all this, the double standard at the heart of this amendment: Gender-affirming care is standard evidence- based care. In fact, the military relies on it for cisgender troops: troops with thyroid conditions, low testosterone, or other hormone needs. They just made a whole new policy about it. My colleague literally said: It is to make sure someone is more masculine. Making someone who is masculine more masculine is literally the definition of affirming one’s gender with gender-affirming care. The same medical treatment can’t strengthen readiness for a cis man and hurt readiness when a trans servicemember or our military families need it. A blanket ban on healthcare is a cruel punishment for kids. Denying them mental health care and therapy is especially disgusting when they are more likely to feel alone and isolated because of the vitriol they hear from people in this very body, people in power like my colleagues. We are better than this. Our troops are better than this. Our troops deserve better than this.