Planned Parenthood clinics are rushing minors as young as 16 into irreversible hormone treatments with minimal oversight and potentially devastating consequences, including permanent sterility, according to shocking undercover investigations by Live Action.
Key Takeaways
- Planned Parenthood has dramatically expanded hormone therapy services, with nearly 600 centers now offering cross-sex hormones compared to just 32 in 2016
- Undercover investigations revealed some clinics provide hormones to minors as young as 16, sometimes on the first visit without therapy or mental health evaluations
- These treatments can cause permanent infertility and other serious side effects while Planned Parenthood receives over $670 million in taxpayer funding annually
- Congressional Republicans, including Senator Bill Cassidy, are questioning Planned Parenthood’s use of taxpayer dollars for these services
Explosive Undercover Investigation Reveals Troubling Practices
Live Action, a pro-life organization known for its investigative work, recently released recordings of undercover phone calls to Planned Parenthood clinics across the country. The calls revealed that numerous facilities offer cross-sex hormonal treatments to teenagers with minimal medical scrutiny. In many cases, the clinics assured callers that teenagers as young as 16 could receive hormones quickly, sometimes on the same day as their initial consultation, without requiring prior therapy or comprehensive mental health evaluations.
“Planned Parenthood is fast-tracking vulnerable children into irreversible hormone treatments with almost no medical oversight,” said Live Action President Lila Rose. “These dangerous drugs can sterilize, stunt growth and leave lifelong scars. This is not healthcare. It is child abuse, and it must be stopped.”
Rapid Expansion Into Hormone Therapy Services
The investigation comes amid Planned Parenthood’s significant expansion into providing what they call “gender-affirming care.” According to reports, nearly 600 Planned Parenthood centers across America now offer cross-sex hormones, a massive increase from just 32 locations in 2016. The organization’s own data shows these services increased by 49% from 2021 to 2022 alone. This expansion has been characterized by critics as a strategy to compensate for potential revenue losses in states restricting abortion services following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“Gender ideologues argue this spike in people ‘identifying’ as transgender, nonbinary, and so forth simply reflects a more accepting American culture,” notes a Heritage Foundation analysis of the trend.
Serious Health Concerns and Long-Term Consequences
Medical experts have raised serious concerns about providing cross-sex hormones to minors, particularly with limited medical oversight. These treatments can cause significant and sometimes irreversible side effects, including permanent sterility. Critics argue that teenagers lack the maturity and life experience to make such consequential medical decisions. More troubling, research conducted by the Heritage Foundation suggests that easy access to hormone therapy may actually be linked to higher suicide risks, contrary to claims that these interventions are “life-saving.”
“This finding contradicts the claim that medical treatments for gender dysphoria are ‘lifesaving,'” concludes research by Heritage’s Jay Greene.
Congressional Scrutiny and Funding Questions
Planned Parenthood’s expansion into hormone therapy has drawn intense scrutiny from Congressional Republicans who question whether taxpayer dollars should fund these services. Senator Bill Cassidy has specifically called out the organization for its “opaque reporting” practices regarding gender transition services. Cassidy noted a suspicious increase in Planned Parenthood’s “Other Procedures” category, which jumped from 17,791 in 2020 to 256,550 in 2021, potentially masking the true extent of hormone therapies being administered.
“I am troubled that your organization buried data on the breadth of the services it provides. Gender transition services are experimental at best and permanently damaging at worst,” stated Dr. Cassidy in communications with Planned Parenthood. “Therefore, the American people deserve to have the full picture of the gender transition services your organization provides to ensure no taxpayer dollars fund these procedures.”
Push for Defunding Amid Growing International Caution
Live Action is urging Congress to defund Planned Parenthood, which received approximately $670.4 million in taxpayer funds during the 2021-2022 fiscal year. House Republicans are reportedly considering measures to end federal funding for the organization. This push comes as several Western European countries, once at the forefront of youth gender transitions, are becoming increasingly restrictive with such treatments, citing concerns about insufficient evidence regarding long-term outcomes and safety. Meanwhile, multiple conservative states have moved to protect minors from medical interventions that could have permanent consequences.
Planned Parenthood did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the undercover investigation, which Live Action described as revealing “a chilling reality” about how the organization operates. As America’s second-largest provider of gender hormone therapies, Planned Parenthood’s practices in this domain will likely remain under intense scrutiny from both medical experts and policymakers concerned about child welfare and appropriate use of taxpayer funds.
