Oregon Law Subsidizes Sex-Change Operations for 15-Year-Olds

All I can say is that as a nation, collectively, we have lost our minds. Or at a minimum we have lost our way. We simply can’t have state sponsored mutilation of children. This is beyond insanity. I happen to agree that a fifteen year old child shouldn’t be able to get a tattoo, at least without parental consent. (And really, you should wait a few years anyway.) It’s also too young to vote, which I agree with too. They should probably be able to get an aspirin if they need one, but we can discuss that later. One thing they should absolutely not be able to do is be diagnosed with “gender dysphoria” and have their genitals surgically removed or rearranged in a way which will never be able to be fully restored. (HotAir)

Breitbart has this basic info on the story:

Parents across Oregon are critical of a new Medicaid program that would pay out state aid to help teenagers as young as 15 get a sex change operation without parental consent.

The new policy directs Oregon’s Medicaid program to cover sex change surgeries, puberty suppressing drugs, and cross-sex hormones for teens starting at age 15, all without consultations with a teen’s parents.

The decision to begin the program was made by the state’s Health Evidence Review Commission (HERC), a board whose members are appointed by the governor, not elected, and are unaccountable to the citizens.

HERC says that the state’s Medicaid program will cover up to $150,000 a year per patient in sex change expenses.

The medical review board issued a statement justifying its decision saying, “Age of medical consent varies by state. Oregon law–which applies to both Medicaid and non-Medicaid Oregonians — states that the age of medical consent is 15.”

But as many critics note, there is a long list of things a 15-year-old can’t do in the Beaver State. That list includes driving, smoking, giving blood, using a tanning bed, or getting a tattoo. Yet now they can get a life-changing operation and without consulting a parent?

[….]

“Children age 15 may not fully understand all the consequences of the procedures they are undergoing,” Dr. Jack Drescher, a member of the APA who worked on the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group, told Fox News.