Planned Parenthood Pivots to Where the Money Is: Transgender Hormone Therapy

R ecently, Planned Parenthood released several guides on transgenderism and the relevant medical services the organization offers. One of these guides is titled, “What should I teach my elementary school aged child about identity?” The guide claims that “gender identity — including transgender and gender nonconforming identities — are cemented early in elementary school.” Under the question, “How do I know if my child is transgender or gender nonconforming?” the guide states that, “for [some] kids, it’s clear as early as 2–3 years old that they’re not the gender everyone says they are.” Many kids aren’t potty-trained by the time they are two to three years old, but Planned Parenthood is claiming that they will be able to comprehend the concept of gender.

At the end of the guide, after information for parents on how to create a safe space for their transgender or gender-nonconforming child, is a “Book an Appointment” form. On the menu of services, one option is “Transgender Hormone Therapy” — not a service one would typically associate with this organization.

In fact, Planned Parenthood has been involved in transgender treatments for a while now. There were even rumors that the 2019 removal of Dr. Leana Wen as president of the abortion provider was partly due to differences over transgenderism. Reportedly, Wen did not want to use “trans-inclusive language.” There are Planned Parenthood clinics in 33 states and the District of Columbia that provide cross-sex hormones to transgender people and “people at various places on the spectrum of gender identity and expression.” The website for Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania promotes “Gender Affirming Care” as one of its services. Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, in San Jose, Calif., features “Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy” under “Patient Resources.” In the same section of the website, the organization says, “In most cases your clinician will be able to prescribe hormones the same day as your first visit. No letter from a mental health provider is required.” How is it medically responsible to prescribe body-altering hormones in most cases at the first visit? In the Pacific Northwest, Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette provides transgender treatments, including “feminizing and masculinizing medications” along with “in-clinic testosterone injections.” Planned Parenthood California Central Coast says it is “proud to provide quality, compassionate care to transgender, intersex, non-binary, and gender non-confirming patients.” People 18 years or older can receive hormone therapy at all six of their health centers.

Transgender services are not solely provided to adults, however. Some Planned Parenthood locations offer services to minors. Planned Parenthood Mar Monte offers hormone therapy to 16- and 17-year-olds with parental consent. Similarly, Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida provides transgender female-hormone therapy (including both estrogen and spironolactone, a drug that blocks male-sex-hormone receptors and can halt testosterone production) and transgender male-hormone therapy (including testosterone) to minors. Seventeen-year-olds need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian to receive treatment, and those 16 years old or younger must provide additional paperwork in order to get the injections. Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri also provides “gender affirming hormone therapy” to those 16 years or older. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds need a parent or guardian with them during the visit.

Planned Parenthood has positioned itself well to exploit this “market,” if one can call it that. As Abigail Shrier, author of Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters, noted last year, Planned Parenthood is now one of the largest providers in the U.S. of cross-sex hormones. Shrier writes, “It seems reasonable to conclude that hormone treatments — pricey as they are — now contribute materially to Planned Parenthood’s bottom line.” And the size of this market is growing. Analysis based on government health surveys from 2017 to 2020 estimates that 1.4 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds and 1.3 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds identify as transgender, while of all adults, only 0.5 percent identify as transgender. This is a huge change from when the same researchers from the Williams Institute (albeit using different methods) conducted the analysis in January 2017, when they found that only 0.7 percent of 17-year-olds and 0.7 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds identified as transgender. A 2021 Gallup poll found that among the 20.8 percent of Gen Z Americans who identify as LGBT, 2.1 percent identify as transgender. It’s a convenient time for Planned Parenthood to go all-in on the transgender agenda.

Transgender treatments could become a major cash cow for Planned Parenthood and other organizations in a post-Roe world. Unlike abortions, which can be a one-time payment, gender-transitioning treatments are recurring and expensive — hormone therapy can cost more than $2,000 per year. Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., says that transgender hormone treatment is often covered by insurance. When it isn’t, out-of-pocket expenses add up: The initial visit is $170, lab work is $150, and a follow-up visit every three months is $110.

With abortion already banned in nine states, Planned Parenthood may be looking for other ways to shore up its bottom line. From its perspective, there is likely tremendous appeal in hopping on the bandwagon of what has become a social contagion and catering to the desires of vulnerable people who may suffer from gender dysphoria or other mental-health afflictions.

From a moral perspective, this is egregious and should be stopped. If and when Republicans are in control of the presidency and both chambers of Congress, they should move swiftly to — finally — cut any federal funding of Planned Parenthood. And Republicans at the state level should move to end transgender “treatment” for those under the age of 18. Gender-confused youth need real care, not trend-driven exploitation.