The Christian Employers Alliance (CEA), represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, is suing the Biden administration over two mandates that force religious nonprofit and for-profit employers to fund “gender transition surgeries, procedures, counseling, and treatments,” Newsmax reports.
ADF filed a motion Tuesday in federal court asking to cease the order.
Dr. Michelle Cretella, who is the executive director of the American College of Pediatricians, told the Todd Starnes Show Wednesday how the mandate is forcing doctors to choose “between harming children or not working.”
“Biden’s HHS mandate will force doctors to violate our oath to, first, do no harm — in a couple of ways,” Cretella said. “Most significantly, with children. It will require doctors to take gender-confused children, even as young as eight years old, and put them on dangerous puberty blockers and then between the ages of eight and 16, put them on dangerous cross-sex hormones. These are drugs that will sterilize children. And then furthermore, as the kids do these, these drugs have the effect of locking kids in right into their gender confusion. So as these kids get older into their older teen, most of them then request so-called gender transition surgeries. So we’re talking about 13, 14 and 15-year-old girls getting double mastectomy. These are mutilating surgeries that can never be reversed.”
The doctor said there has been a 4,000% increase in young children, especially girls, requesting hormones and/or surgeries, which she says is a result of a combination of psychology and social culture pushing transgenderism.
ADF attorney Ryan Bangert told Starnes the federal government is overstepping its bounds.
“The Biden administration has no place telling physicians how to practice medicine and doing so in this case based on a very radical ideology that denies the reality of biological sex,” Bangert said. “It’s just astounding.”
Below is a rushed transcript of Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Ryan Bangert and Dr. Michelle Cretella on the Todd Starnes Show Wednesday:
STARNES: [01:00:34] All right, folks, welcome back to the Todd Starnes Radio Show. Good to have you with us today as we maneuvered through some pretty crazy stories. One of them involves the Biden administration, and they have issued mandates that would force doctors to perform gender transition procedures on any patient, including a child, even if the procedure violates a doctor’s medical judgment or religious beliefs. This is absolutely insane, and it’s it’s because of stories like this in cases like this, that Alliance Defending Freedom is so vitally important. I want to go right now to the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker Lines in our Liberty University Studios. We are honored to have with us Dr. Michelle Cretella, who is the executive director of the American College of Pediatricians and Alliance Defending Freedom Attorney Ryan Bangert. Guys, welcome to the program. [01:01:31][57.4]
CRETELLA: [01:01:33] Thank you for having us. [01:01:34][0.9]
BANGERT: [01:01:35] Thank you, Todd. [01:01:35][0.2]
STARNES: [01:01:35] So, Michelle, I’m going to start with, I’m going to start with you, Michelle, and there’s a little bit of a delay. So my apologies here. But Michelle, I want you to tell us what the mandate would force doctors to do. [01:01:49][13.6]
CRETELLA: [01:01:50] Sure. Biden’s HHS mandate will force doctors to violate our oath to, first, do no harm — in a couple of ways. Most significantly, with children. It will require doctors to take gender-confused children, even as young as eight years old, and put them on dangerous puberty blockers and then between the ages of eight and 16, put them on dangerous cross-sex hormones. These are drugs that will sterilize children. And then furthermore, as the kids do these, these drugs have the effect of locking kids in right into their gender confusion. So as these kids get older into their older teen, most of them then request so-called gender transition surgeries. So we’re talking about 13, 14 and 15 year old girls getting double mastectomy. These are mutilating surgeries that can never be reversed. [01:03:01][71.1]
STARNES: [01:03:03] So, so doctor, I’m curious over, you know, let’s say, the past 15 or 20 years have has there been a massive uptick in the number of children wanting these kinds of surgeries or parents wanting these kinds of surgeries for their kids? [01:03:20][16.3]
CRETELLA: [01:03:21] So, the short answer is yes. The the this is happening around the world in all Western countries, not just the United States. We’re talking about a 4000 percent increase in less than 10 years of a 4000 percent increase of children, especially girls, especially girls presenting to gender clinics, wanting hormones and or surgery. [01:03:49][27.9]
STARNES: [01:03:51] So why do you why do you think that is? Are we talking about is this some sort of a genetic thing? Or is this more of a political or cultural phenomenon? [01:03:58][7.8]
CRETELLA: [01:04:01] There there are studies that are are very supportive of this being a cultural phenomenon. This is predominantly socially induced a social contagion. And you can see this if it has been graphed out. Looking at when each of the different social media platforms were launched, there was a concomitant spike in both girls and boys, but especially girls developing this gender confusion. In addition, we have very good studies to demonstrate that these kids who do have do present with gender confusion typically have psychological illness that comes that is underlying it comes on before the kids even have gender confusion. So this is a combination of psychology and, you know, the social culture, which everywhere you turn, is pushing adult transgenderism. And you know, there are special rates, so to speak. [01:05:10][68.7]
STARNES: [01:05:11] And this is where I want to bring in Ryan Bangert from Alliance Defending Freedom. Ryan, I felt it’s important for people to understand this is not some sort of a medical phenomenon. This is a cultural issue we’re dealing with here, which I think why it’s all the more important for the doctors to be able to at least address these kinds of issues in their practices. And for the Biden administration to come in to say, ‘No, you can’t do that,’ I’m glad you guys have stepped up to the plate here. [01:05:43][32.2]
BANGERT: [01:05:44] That’s exactly right. You know, the Biden administration has no place telling physicians how to practice medicine and doing so in this case based on a very radical ideology that denies the reality of biological sex. It’s just astounding and baking that into federal law. And I know you had Dr Davis from College of the Ozarks on last week. Now, Dr. Cretella asked, We’re just seeing this all throughout federal law. This radical notion of redefining and denying the reality of biological sex and it hurts real people. You cannot deny the fact that Dr. Cretella just discussed that this implementation of a radical ideology, federal law is having real world impact on kids. And Dr. Cretella spoke to this very eloquently. The federal government has no place forcing this agenda on doctors. [01:06:39][55.0]
STARNES: [01:06:41] So Ryan, you guys are involved here. And what I find fascinating about Alliance Defending Freedom, the cases you guys represent and one of the reasons we are involved in this radiothon this month to help raise money for Alliance Defending Freedom is that you guys cover your case that you don’t charge for your your legal work. It’s done pro bono, and that’s where it’s incumbent upon all of our listeners to get involved to help defend these good and decent people that are coming under attack. [01:07:08][27.8]
BANGERT: [01:07:10] We do. And all credit to Dr. Cretella, ACP Catholic Medical Association are good clients in this case for stepping forward with courage to take on the federal government. But we could not do it without those who contribute to our cause sacrificially out of their own funds. Whether that be a dollar, a thousand dollars or a million and in every single penny help. And we could not do this without our supporters because we provide these legal services for free for all of our clients. [01:07:40][30.3]
STARNES: [01:07:42] And doctor, I want to come back to you again here. What is the concern, the chief concern you’re hearing from people in the medical community about this issue? [01:07:52][10.3]
CRETELLA: [01:07:54] Their chief concern is that they will be forced to sterilize and maim children, and they won’t do that. They will, and this mandate would drive many of them out of the field. It’s that simple because doctors will be put in a position of choosing between harming children or not working in medicine. [01:08:23][29.2]
STARNES: [01:08:24] All right, folks. Now you understand, and I hope you understand what we’re dealing with here and why it is so vitally important that we get engaged and involved and equip Alliance Defending Freedom with the resources they need to fight these kinds of cases. We’re going to show you how to do that in just a moment. I do want to say thank you so much to Dr. Cretella, executive director of the American College of Pediatricians, and Ryan Bangart, who is an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom. Thank you both. Folks, if you would like to join the effort, it is very simple. And as you heard Ryan say, many of us, we can only, you know, we can donate five ten, fifteen twenty five dollars. Others of you have been incredibly blessed and you’re able to give a thousand dollars or 5000 or 10000 dollars. Every bit helps. And we are coming up the the end of the month. This very is very near and we want to be able to hit our goal and exceed that goal because we’ve got to stand alongside these actors who don’t want to be put in the position of having to decide, am I going to be a doctor or do I follow the Obama rules and regulations and made this child? And as you heard, Dr. Cretella say, many doctors simply will not do that. So this is on us. We have got to provide ADF with the resources they need to fight these kinds of cases. Go to ToddStarnes.com right now and click on the Alliance Defending Freedom banner. You will see that’s right there in your face. It says Donate now and you will be able to join the cause as we raise much-needed funding for our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom. Unbelievable story, folks. And as you heard, the doctor say, this is nothing. We’re not talking about evolution here. We’re not talking about some sort of a medical phenomenon. A 4000 percent increase. This is being conditioned at the public school level. They are trying to confuse children about who they are. They’re trying to confuse kids about. Whether or not they are a boy or a girl or something else, and that’s not right, and we’ve got to put a stop to it. [01:10:39][134.9]