Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine is taking heat for a response about why children should not wait to transition until they are older.
During an interview with ABC News’ “Nightline,” Levine was asked by journalist Juju Chang, “What would you say to folks who think they’re reasonable by saying, ‘Why can’t children just wait till they’re 18?'”
“Adolescence is hard and puberty is hard. What if you’re going through the wrong puberty? What if you inside feel that you are female but now you are going through a male puberty,” the health official responded.
Chang countered, “The argument is well, they’re too young to know.”
However, Levine responded by pointing there are “no medical procedures done” for pre-pubertal children.
Watch the video below:
“…Gender-affirming care is mental health care…"
— Nightline (@Nightline) July 14, 2023
Admiral Rachel Levine is a pediatrician and the highest-ranking openly transgender federal official in the country.
She joins @JujuChangABC to discuss the importance of gender affirming care especially during pubescent ages. pic.twitter.com/sOS6JbLigo
Levine, who is the top-ranking openly transgender official in the federal government, was blasted for the exchange.
Nicki Neily, the president of Parents Defending Education, tweeted, “Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Levine — who transitioned *as an adult* — dismisses the question of why children can’t wait until they turn 18 to pursue sex change surgeries: ‘Adolescence is hard and puberty is hard. What if you’re going through the wrong puberty?'”
“This is the ‘expert’ parents are supposed to trust?” she asked.
Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Levine — who transitioned *as an adult* — dismisses the question of why children can’t wait until they turn 18 to pursue sex change surgeries:
— Nicki Neily (@nickineily) July 18, 2023
“Adolescence is hard and puberty is hard. What if you’re going through the wrong puberty?”
This… pic.twitter.com/vJAIwKE6Vl
The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh tweeted, “Yes, what if you’re going through the wrong puberty? Also, what if you have the wrong liver or the wrong left kneecap? What if you have the wrong eye color? What if you have the wrong DNA? These and many other questions make sense if you’re a delusional schizophrenic.”
Yes, what if you're going through the wrong puberty? Also, what if you have the wrong liver or the wrong left kneecap? What if you have the wrong eye color? What if you have the wrong DNA? These and many other questions make sense if you're a delusional schizophrenic. https://t.co/MnFw93NiY4
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) July 18, 2023
“What if you’re a mentally ill person given extraordinary power to say insane things,” wrote conservative commentator Ben Shapiro.
What if you're a mentally ill person given extraordinary power to say insane things https://t.co/SXS0BteqnU
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) July 18, 2023
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote, “He has no business pushing these dangerous procedures—that have no basis in science—on kids.”
He has no business pushing these dangerous procedures—that have no basis in science—on kids. https://t.co/UFV225IzYZ
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) July 18, 2023
Townhall’s Guy Benson tweeted, “‘The wrong puberty’?”
“The wrong puberty”? https://t.co/hE0QiupVPJ
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) July 18, 2023
Levine has previously received criticism for calling for laws to “support and empower” young people seeking “gender affirmation treatment.”