Levine avoided answering Paul’s specific points and responded in general terms.
“Transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field with robust research and standards of care that have been developed,” Levine said.
“What I am alarmed at is that you are not willing to say absolutely minors shouldn’t be making decisions to amputate their breasts or to amputate their genitalia. For most of our history, we have believed that minors don’t have full rights and that parents need to be involved, so I am 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 lives. Will you make a more firm decision on whether or not minors should be involved in these decisions?” Paul responded.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), chairwoman of the Senate health committee, later praised Levine’s answers and rebuked Paul for his questions.
“It is really critical to me that our nominees be treated with respect and that our questions focus on their qualifications and the work ahead of us, rather than on ideological and harmful misrepresentations like those we heard from Senator Paul earlier,” Murray said.
