{"id":2077506,"date":"2023-10-24T08:56:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T12:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/taxpayers-funding-gender-transition-treatments-for-impoverished-pennsylvania-children\/"},"modified":"2023-10-24T09:03:03","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T13:03:03","slug":"taxpayers-funding-gender-transition-treatments-for-impoverished-pennsylvania-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/taxpayers-funding-gender-transition-treatments-for-impoverished-pennsylvania-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Taxpayers support gender transition treatments for underprivileged kids in Pennsylvania."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftaxpayers-funding-gender-transition-treatments-for-impoverished-pennsylvania-children%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2077506&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>Pennsylvania taxpayers are increasingly burdened with the rising\u2063 medical costs of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/taxpayers-funding-gender-transition-treatments-for-impoverished-pennsylvania-children\/\" title=\"Taxpayers support gender transition treatments for underprivileged kids in Pennsylvania.\">low-income \u200bchildren seeking gender reassignment treatment<\/a>. This is due to the long-term commitment involved in prescribing hormones to \u2062change a\u200d person&#8217;s gender appearance.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2015, taxpayers have been funding gender-affirming \u2064treatments\u2062 for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/opinion-inflation-distance-learning-critical-race-theory-going-back-to-school-in-bidens-america\/\" title=\"Opinion: Inflation, Distance Learning, Critical Race Theory: Going Back To School In Biden\u2019s America\">low-income children<\/a>\u200d through the Children&#8217;s Health\u2062 Insurance Program (CHIP), following lobbying efforts by doctors from Pennsylvania hospitals. According to\u200b data\u200c from the Pennsylvania Family Institute, over \u2064$20 \u200cmillion has been spent on transgender surgeries and services\u200b for children aged 18 and under.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Related Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/judge-tentatively-blocks-california-districts-transgender-parent-notification-policy-5514638?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\">Judge Tentatively Blocks California District&#8217;s Transgender Parent Notification Policy<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>10\/21\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/studies-show-alarming-trend-in-heart-disease-for-people-using-transgender-hormones-5511633?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\">Studies Show Alarming Trend in Heart Disease for People Using Transgender Hormones<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>10\/17\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;This shocking report reveals Pennsylvania taxpayers are being \u2063forced to fund harmful drugs and surgeries on children, sending millions of dollars every year to carry out detrimental and irreversible procedures upon minors,&#8221; said Michael Geer,\u200b president of the Pennsylvania \u2063Family\u200d Institute.<\/p>\n<p>From 2015 to 2022, Pennsylvania has witnessed a significant increase in funding for gender transition treatments for children. In 2015, the state spent nearly $61,000, but by 2022, the expenditure had\u2064 skyrocketed to over $5 million.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>(Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Family Institute)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Epoch Times reached out to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) to inquire about the reasons\u2064 behind the spending increase. However, DHS did \u200cnot respond before press time.<\/p>\n<p>According to\u200d the Pennsylvania Family\u200c Institute, at least three children&#8217;s hospitals\u200b in Pennsylvania currently offer\u200d gender services: the Children&#8217;s Hospital of Philadelphia \u200c(CHOP),\u2062 UPMC Children&#8217;s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and Penn State Health Children&#8217;s Hospital.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is state-sponsored child mutilation that taxpayers \u200dare being forced\u200b to fund,&#8221; Geer emphasized. &#8220;Not one penny of funding should be used to advance this type of harmful activity.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Treatments<\/h2>\n<p>The data obtained by the Pennsylvania Family \u2064Institute includes codes and\u200d descriptions for each treatment\u200c paid for by DHS. However, \u200bit does not indicate the number of treatments per patient,\u2063 making \u2064it impossible to determine the total number of minors who received medications and procedures.<\/p>\n<p>The treatments listed in the data include androgenic agents for transitioning from female to male, as well as estrogenic agents that cause male breast development. Some girls were given Yuvafem and Estring, menopause symptom-reducing inserts, which come \u200bwith warnings about potential \u200brisks\u2062 such as\u200c dementia.\u2063 Many treatments consist of hormones typically used by women in menopause \u200band post-menopause, including gels,\u2062 creams, patches, and pills. Testosterone replacements, \u2062usually prescribed for men with insufficient testosterone production, are also being used off-label.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;Since no drugs are specifically for sex reassignment or transition-related services,\u200c pharmacy claims were only included for recipients with\u2064 a previous gender identity disorder diagnosis or personal history of sex reassignment diagnosis,&#8221; noted DHS in a statement attached to \u200bthe data provided to the Pennsylvania Family Institute.<\/p>\n<h2>Training for Transition<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to funding drugs and procedures, Pennsylvania taxpayers have also financed the\u200d expansion of gender care \u2062services. The Pennsylvania DHS allocated over $176,000 to the Gender and Sexuality Development Program at CHOP for transgender therapy \u2063training workshops.<\/p>\n<p>Between 2018 and\u200b 2022, more than 1,800 mental \u200bhealth providers and educators participated in webinars and in-person training. The training emphasizes \u200dtreating children under 8 with acceptance and affirmation, guiding families through social gender transitions, and administering puberty blockers and hormone therapy based on age.<\/p>\n<p>It is important to note \u200bthat puberty blockers can have permanent effects, pausing puberty and allowing children more time to explore their\u200b gender identity before irreversible changes occur. However,\u200d these blockers are expensive, \u2064with\u200d costs ranging from $9,000 to $49,000 per treatment.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Zachary McClain, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine and\u200c program director of adolescent medicine, stated that insurance covers \u2063the cost of these treatments 72 percent \u200bof the time.<\/p>\n<p>Hormone therapy is typically initiated when\u200b a child&#8217;s \u200cpeer group begins showing signs of puberty, usually around age \u200b14, and helps align their body with their desired gender characteristics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2>2) Should children have the capacity to\u2063 fully understand the implications and consequences of \u200bgender reassignment procedures before undergoing them?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Cally prescribed for adults, but are being used on children as young as\u2064 13 years\u200d old.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200b long-term effects of these treatments on children are not yet fully understood. \u2064However, numerous\u2063 studies have raised concerns \u200babout the potential health \u200drisks and\u2064 psychological consequences \u200bof gender reassignment\u200c procedures and hormone therapies. Studies have shown increased \u200crates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and\u2062 cancer among individuals who have undergone hormonal treatments for gender\u2064 transition.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore,\u200d critics argue \u200bthat children \u2062may\u200d not have the capacity\u200d to fully understand the implications and consequences\u2062 of such life-altering decisions.\u2062 They argue that children should be given the opportunity to explore their gender identity and express themselves freely, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-appeals-court-upholds-tennessee-kentuckys-bans-on-cross-sex-hormones-puberty-blockers-for-children\/\" title=\"Federal Appeals Court supports bans on cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers for children in Tennessee and Kentucky.\">undergoing irreversible medical procedures<\/a> should only\u2063 be considered when they reach an age of consent and have the cognitive ability\u2063 to understand the long-term consequences.<\/p>\n<p>The issue of\u200b using taxpayer money to fund <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/veterans-affairs-proposes-paying-for-gender-reassignment-surgeries\/\" title=\"Veterans affairs proposes paying for gender reassignment surgeries\">gender reassignment treatments<\/a>\u2064 for low-income children has\u2062 sparked a wide range of opinions and \u2064debates \u200cin Pennsylvania and across the\u2064 country. Those in favor argue that healthcare is a basic \u200dhuman right and \u200dthat denying access to necessary treatments for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/food-stamps-maine-snap-recipients-will-see-monthly-payments-beginning-in-two-days\/\" title=\"Maine SNAP recipients to receive monthly payments in two days.\">low-income\u2062 individuals<\/a>\u2064 would be discriminatory. They emphasize the importance of \u2063providing comprehensive healthcare services that\u2063 cater to \u200dthe specific needs of transgender individuals.<\/p>\n<p>However, critics argue that\u200b funding gender reassignment treatments with taxpayer \u2063money sets a dangerous precedent. They argue that taxpayer funds should be allocated towards more critical healthcare needs, such as life-saving treatments and \u200dmedical services that benefit a larger population. They question the prioritization\u2063 of gender reassignment \u2063treatments over\u200c other healthcare needs that may be more urgent and life-threatening.<\/p>\n<p>As the \u200ddebate continues, it is \u200bevident that the issue of gender reassignment treatments for low-income children will remain a\u200c controversial and complex topic. It requires careful\u2064 consideration of medical\u200d ethics, the\u2062 rights of transgender individuals,\u2063 and\u2063 the\u200d allocation of taxpayer funds. Finding a balance that ensures access to necessary healthcare services while \u200daddressing the concerns \u200cof \u2064taxpayers remains a \u2062challenge that Pennsylvania and other states \u2063will need to navigate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pennsylvania taxpayers bear increasing costs annually for medical expenses of low-income children seeking gender reassignment treatment. This is due to the long-term or lifelong commitment of prescribed hormones to alter their gender appearance. Consequently, taxpayers cover the expenses of low-income children altering their appearance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":2077507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2077506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2077506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2077506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2077506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2077507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2077506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2077506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2077506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}