Tennessee Republican legislators demand hospital halt gender surgeries on minors

Tennessee Republicans have demanded that the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) cease performing gender-related surgeries on minors following reporting from the Daily Wire outlining the goings on at the facility.

More than 60 GOP members of the Tennessee House signed a letter to the medical facility, asking that the hospital board "take immediate action by halting all permanent gender transitioning surgeries being performed on minor children."

"While those 18-years and older are recognized as legal adults and free to make decisions in their best interests, it is an egregious error of judgment that an institution as highly respected as Vanderbilt would condone (and promote) harmful and irreversible procedures for minor children in the name of profit," they wrote.

The lawmakers further highlighted concerns that the VUMC was retaliating against "employees who are conscientious and religious objectors to genital disfiguring and double mastectomies of children." They insisted that the VUMC also honor the objections of those with religious or personal moral objections to participating in such procedures.

The Republicans gave the hospital 10 days to respond to their demands.

Republican lawmakers across a number of states have made efforts to curtail the performance of gender surgeries on minors. Most notably, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced the "Protect Children's Innocence Act" to make the performance of such surgeries on minors a felony.

Other Republican stars, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin have focused on limiting discussion of trans issues in education in their states without parental consent.