Watch: Rand Paul Bulldozes Rachel Levine, Leaves Her Almost Speechless During Confirmation Hearing
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky grilled Rachel Levine, President Joe Biden’s nominee for assistant health secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, over the issues of genital mutilation and puberty-blocking hormones for children on Thursday during a Senate confirmation hearing.
Levine, born Richard Levine in 1957, began identifying as female at a young age, the former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health said in 2015, PennLive reported.
Before Levine was removing his mother from a nursing home in Pennsylvania last year, prior to the state’s long-term care facilities being inundated with COVID-19-positive residents, the now-divorced physician and father of two had reportedly begun the process of taking hormones to mimic the appearance of a woman.
Individuals who identify as transgender, such as Levine, are outliers in a society where there are some inconvenient facts.
Those facts are, of course, that one cannot change their biological gender, and that gender dysphoria, or gender identity disorder, is a mental illness — or at least it was until the World Health Organization suddenly deemed it not to be in 2019, CBS News reported.
With those facts established for people who aren’t inclined to see children treated as human guinea pigs for the experiments of sick adults, Paul wanted some answers when he had his chance to question Levine about those subjects.
“Genital mutilation has been nearly universally condemned. Genital mutilation has been condemned by the WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund,” Paul said, addressing Levine.
Paul went on to note that the WHO still broadly considers genital mutilation, which is what so-called gender reassignment surgery is, “a violation of human rights” and “is nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children.”
The senator then got down to scrutinizing Levine with regard to gender-confused children.
“American culture is now normalizing the idea that minors can be given hormones to prevent their biological development of their secondary sexual characteristics,” he said.
“Dr. Levine, you have supported both allowing minors to be given hormone blockers to prevent them from going through puberty, as well as surgical destruction of a minor’s genitalia. Like surgical mutilation, hormonal interruption of puberty can permanently alter and prevent secondary sexual characteristics.”
He then asked, point blank, “Dr. Levine, do you believe that minors are capable of making such a life-changing decision as changing one’s sex?”
Those hoping for a clear and concise answer to a question about whether children are capable of consenting to life-altering procedures and hormonal changes were surely disappointed.
“Well, Senator, thank you for your interest in this question. Transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field with robust research and standards of care that have been developed,” Levine responded. “And if I am fortunate enough to be confirmed as the assistant secretary of health, I will look forward to working with you and your office and coming to your office and discussing the particulars of the standards of care for transgender medicine.”
Isn’t Levine a perfect fit for a position in government? How is a private, off-the-record chat for transparency? Luckily, Paul didn’t relent.
“The specific question was about minors. Let’s be a little more specific since you evaded the question. Do you support the government intervening to override the parent’s consent to give a child puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and/or amputation surgery of breasts and genitalia?” Paul asked.
“You have said that you’re willing to accelerate the protocols for street kids. I’m alarmed that poor kids with no parents, who are homeless and distraught — you would just go through this and allow that to happen to a minor.”
Paul, who is himself a physician, went on to crush Levine and those who are pushing the sick leftist dogmas which challenge the foundation of our society by putting the very existence of gender in doubt.
“For most of our history, we have believed that minors don’t have full rights and that parents need to be involved, so I’m alarmed that you won’t say with certainty that minors should not have the ability to make the decision to take hormones that will affect them for the rest of their life. Will you make a more firm decision on whether or not minors should be involved in these decisions?” Paul asked.
Levine again evaded Paul’s question and proposed a closed-door meeting to discuss the issue.
“Senator, transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field. And if confirmed to the position of assistant secretary of health, I would certainly be pleased to come to your office and talk with you and your staff about the standards of care and the complexity of this field,” Levine said.
“Let it go into the record that the witness refused to answer the question,” Paul said.
Paul went on to attack drugs being used off-label for gender transitions, while challenging the notion that children as young as 3-years-old are capable of even grasping the concept of gender.
Levine was, of course, near speechless. The line of questioning isn’t likely to derail the doctor’s confirmation, but it was a reminder that there still resides a bit of sanity and fearlessness in the upper chamber of Congress.
Paul wasn’t afraid of being canceled, nor was he afraid of offending one of the left’s protected classes of people, who just so happens to be in line for an administrative government job. Most of all, simply by walking out on the ledge alone, the senator reminded those watching that the left relies on critics of junk gender science to be fearful of questioning the madness.
Paul asked very basic questions and Levine wasn’t able to answer them — arguably mindful that a wrong answer could expose the entire gender debate for what it is, which is a farce.
Paul challenged both Levine and a complicit medical community that has ignored the dangers posed to confused young people who are constantly bombarded by adults telling them that they were born into the wrong body.
Predictably, his attempt at getting a clear answer ended up fruitless.
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