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?
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“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.