Planned Parenthood using 'loophole' to get minors gender transitions without parents' OK: watchdog

FIRST ON FOX: The conservative watchdog group American Principles Project is sounding an alarm over what the group is describing as a "massive loophole" being utilized by Planned Parenthood to give transgender hormone therapy to minors. 

In a wide-ranging report chronicling how Planned Parenthood is propping up the trans agenda, the American Principles Project accused the group and its affiliates across the country of manipulating the definition of contraception in order to provide transgender hormone therapy to minors without parental consent. 

"Using contraception as a ‘gender-affirming’ treatment is a massive loophole," the report stated. "Most states allow minors to consent to these contraceptives on their own, and many states allow minors to do so without even notifying parents."

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Some blue states, like Washington, Oregon and Minnesota, have laws permitting minors to obtain puberty blockers, or cross-sex hormones, for the purpose of transitioning genders, without parental consent. However, most states do require parental consent in order for minors to access these drugs, while others take an even stricter approach of banning the medications for minors outright, regardless of whether their parents approve or not.  

The American Principles Project points to a "Gender Affirming Care Patient Guide" from Planned Parenthood's Mar Monte chapter, the national organization's largest affiliate serving parts of central California and northern Nevada. 

In both states, parental consent is required for minors to access any type of medical intervention aimed at aiding a minor's gender transition, but it does permit minors to obtain various forms of contraception, such as birth control, without it. 

"People 15 and younger who have periods can come to us for birth control options to stop periods," the patient guide on "gender-affirming care" states. It then notes in the following sentence: "Parent/guardian consent is not required to get birth control."

A 2022 case study from Seattle Children's Hospital, which has come under scrutiny for providing transgender medical care to minors, highlights the case of a 14-year-old biological female who was diagnosed with gender dysphoria and was "very distressed by bleeding cycles" that the patient began experiencing at age 12.

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Despite the minor patient's gender dysphoria, the child did not want to fully transition into a male. Rather, according to the case study, the female patient was identified as "non-binary" and expressed that she did not want to be subject to the effects of testosterone, such as a deeper voice and facial hair. As a result, the child was given hormonal-based birth control to stop her periods, which the case study said resulted in better mental health for the patient and opened them up to pursuing top surgery in the future.

In addition to blocking periods, certain types of birth control can also suppress testosterone production, according to the Endocrine Society. This makes contraception a viable route for gender-dysphoric biological females who may not want to experience the impacts of testosterone but want to blunt their female-sex maturation, as described in the above case study. It's also a viable mechanism for biological males who want to block their body's natural testosterone production, according to the Endocrine Society.     

"While patients under 18 cannot receive hormone therapy, they may have a consultation with a provider to understand treatment options and to receive medications to stop their periods (if desired)," Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest states on its "Gender Affirming Care" web page. The explanation also appears on a FAQ page under the website's "About Us" section.

"The fact that Planned Parenthood is actively finding and exploiting legal loopholes to begin transitioning minors behind their parent’s backs is downright disgusting," Terry Schilling, President of the American Principles Project told Fox News Digital. "There is nothing this organization will not do to make a quick buck at the expense of our children and families."

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According to the American Principles Project's report, around 80 percent of Planned Parenthood clinics offer some form of "gender-affirming care," which the group says has outpaced abortion services.

The report goes into other extensive details about how Planned Parenthood has prioritized sex-change procedures for young people, which Schilling remarked "isn't healthcare" but rather "an ideological crusade that undermines families and exploits vulnerable youth."

"Planned Parenthood’s recent shift to becoming a leading provider of so-called 'gender-affirming care' exposes their radical agenda to reshape society, starting with our unborn children and now targeting the next generation with dangerous, life-altering medical procedures," Schilling said.

"Our report reveals that Planned Parenthood now prioritizes irreversible transgender treatments—often without parental consent—OVER their other services, with an estimated 120,000 transgender medical visits annually and growing," he continued. Their materials, from activity books promoting gender ideology to chatbots targeting kids as young as 13, are designed to sexualize and indoctrinate the next generation."

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In a statement to Fox News Digital, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest's President and CEO, Jenny Black, insisted that its health centers "operate under the highest medical standards," and said that any accusation it is violating state law "is completely false."

"We strongly denounce the dangerous spread of disinformation about life-saving gender-affirming healthcare that is fueled by rampant transphobia," Black said. "We will continue to provide safe and legal health care to those who rely on us for access to quality and compassionate care."

Planned Parenthood's Mar Monte chapter did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.