St. Louis transgender clinic being investigated for ‘harming’ children

Missouri’s new attorney general says his office has been investigating “disturbing allegations” that a transgender center has “been harming hundreds of children each year.”

Andrew Bailey confirmed the probe Thursday after whistleblower Jamie Reed, 42, came forward with damning allegations about the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

A “full investigation into these shocking allegations” was launched two weeks ago, the Republican prosecutor said.

“The Office has already received a sworn affidavit from the whistleblower and documents that support her allegations,” his office said, sharing a copy of the 23-page document.

The university also said it was “alarmed” by the allegations and was “taking this matter very seriously” with its own investigation.

Bailey — who was sworn in last month — called the allegations “disturbing.”

“We take this evidence seriously and are thoroughly investigating to make sure children are not harmed by individuals who may be more concerned with a radical social agenda than the health of children,” he said.

The confirmation of the AG’s probe came on the heels of the Free Press’ publication of an interview with Reed, who recounted why she quit the center in November after four years because of “morally and medically appalling” practices.

The AG noted her affidavit alleges staff used “experimental drugs on children, distributing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones without individualized assessment, and even giving children these life-altering drugs without parental consent.”

It also included “when a parent stated that they were revoking consent” for such treatment, Reed claimed.

That has “led children to attempt suicide,” but “the Center never discontinues prescribing cross-sex hormones, no matter how much those drugs are harming the child,” the AG’s office said of Reed’s claims.

“The whistleblower also has provided documentary evidence that the Center has been unlawfully billing state taxpayers to fund these actions,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Bailey said he wanted “Missouri to be the safest state in the nation for children.”

The university, meanwhile, said it was “alarmed by the allegations.”

“We are taking this matter very seriously and have already begun the process of looking into the situation to ascertain the facts. As always, our highest priority is the health and well-being of our patients,” it said.

“We are committed to providing compassionate, family-centered care to all of our patients and we hold our medical practitioners to the highest professional and ethical standards.”

Studies have shown that when administered with care and caution, evidence-based gender-affirming care for transgender youth greatly improves mental health.

In one US study from early 2020, which examined survey data from 20,619 transgender adults ages 18 to 36, researchers found that those who received puberty suppression treatment when they were younger had a lower suicide risk.

A survey of almost 35,000 LGBT+ people aged between 13 and 24, conducted by non-profit advocacy group the Trevor Project in late 2020, also found that more than a quarter (27.7%) of teens aged between 13 and 17 who wanted hormone therapy but did not get the treatment said they had attempted suicide.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) also supports the “use of current evidence-based clinical care with minors,” it says on its website.

“AACAP strongly opposes any efforts – legal, legislative, and otherwise – to block access to these recognized interventions,” it adds.