Ranking Member Cassidy Calls Out Planned Parenthood’s Opaque Reporting and Questions its Use of Taxpayer Dollars to Fund Gender Transition Services

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, called out Planned Parenthood’s opaque reporting on gender transition services and requests information on whether any taxpayer funds support these experimental and potentially harmful activities. 

Abortion provider Planned Parenthood is now the second largest provider of gender hormone therapies in the United States. In 2022, Planned Parenthood reported that 41 out of its 49 affiliated facilities provided gender transition services, including puberty blockers for minors, as well as estrogen and testosterone.  

Despite the large number of Planned Parenthood affiliates offering gender transition services, the exact number of these services performed is unknown because this information is captured in the organization’s annual reports under the broad label of “Other Procedures,” which also includes pediatric care, preventative care, and infertility services. According to Planned Parenthood’s 2022 annual report, the organization performed 17,791 “Other Procedures” in 2020 and 256,550 in 2021—a more than 1,400 percent spike. In addition to the lack of transparency on the total number of gender transition related procedures in Planned Parenthood’s report, it remains unclear what training Planned Parenthood providers have to perform such services and what measures it takes to ensure appropriate parental consent.  

During the 2021-2022 fiscal year, Planned Parenthood received $670.4 million in taxpayer funding, raising the question of whether the organization uses Americans’ tax dollars to fund gender transition services, even for children. 

“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,” continued Dr. Cassidy. “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.” 

Read the full letter here or below. 

Dear Ms. Johnson:

On April 24, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (Planned Parenthood) released its annual report showing that the organization received $670.4 million in taxpayer funding during its 2021-2022 fiscal year.[1] Planned Parenthood is purported to be the second largest provider of cross-sex hormones in the United States.[2] Given the extent to which the American taxpayer subsidizes Planned Parenthood, I am troubled that its annual report does not contain precise data on the amount of cross-sex hormones provided to children and adults.[3]

In 2022, Planned Parenthood reported that 41 out of 49 affiliates provided gender transition services, including puberty blockers for minors, as well as estrogen and testosterone.[4] This is in contrast to the previous year, where Planned Parenthood reported that “more than 200 health centers in 31 states” provided cross-sex hormones.[5] These 2022 and 2021 figures represent a massive spike from previous years with some estimating a “nearly 700% increase” in the number of Planned Parenthood affiliates offering these types of services since at least 2014.[6]

Despite the rapid increase in the number of Planned Parenthood affiliates offering these types of services, the exact number of gender transition services performed is unknown because this information is captured in the organization’s annual reports under the broad label of “Other Procedures,” which also includes pediatric care, preventative care, and infertility services.[7] Based on Planned Parenthood’s annual report, we know that the organization performed 17,791 “Other Procedures” in 2020 and 256,550 in 2021—a more than 1,400 percent spike. However, we do not know whether the increase in “Other Procedures” is attributed to gender transition services or something else.

I am troubled that your organization buried data on the breadth of the services it provides.[8] Gender transition services are experimental at best and permanently damaging at worst. 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. In order to understand Planned Parenthood’s use of taxpayer money to fund gender transition services, including hormone therapy, I request you answer the following questions, on a question-by-question basis, by close of business on December 14, 2023:

1. Please verify the number of Planned Parenthood centers and affiliates that provide gender transition services.

2. Please describe the training and certification required to perform gender transition services at Planned Parenthood centers and affiliates for physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners.

3. Please describe how Planned Parenthood centers and affiliates comply with relevant state laws regulating gender transition services, including for minors.

4. Please provide an estimate of the number of patients to which these substances have been provided across all Planned Parenthood affiliates, organized under the following categories:

1. Minor (below age 18) female to male,
2. Minor (below age 18) male to female,
3. Adult female to male, and,
4. Adult female to male

5. For minors, describe the procedures that are in place to inform parents of the risks associated with gender transition procedures, and to keep parents informed of their child’s health and safety while pursuing puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones. .

1. Further describe what, if any, procedures are in place to obtain informed parental consent regarding the exposure of their child to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or related procedures.

2. Further describe what, if any, procedures Planned Parenthood and its affiliates have in place to monitor the health of gender transition patients in the short and long-term.

6. Please disclose the source and provide an estimate of any amount of federal funds Planned Parenthood uses for gender transition services broken down by the following categories:

1. Affordable Care Act (ACA);
2. Medicaid;
3. Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP);
4. Title X family planning grants; and,
5. COVID emergency funding.

Thank you for your prompt response.

For all news and updates from HELP Republicans, visit our website or Twitter at @GOPHELP.