EXCLUSIVE — Ten House Republicans sent a letter to the Defense Health Agency late last week criticizing its policy of blocking parental access to their children’s medical information, which they say was “obviously enacted to prevent parents from finding out if their child is ‘identifying’ as another gender.”
“Once again, woke political appointees are pushing a radical policy that strips military parents of their rights,” Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO), who led the letter, told the Washington Examiner. “Shamefully, it could leave parents without the opportunity to engage with their child about a life changing decision until it’s too late. We are calling on DHA to reconsider this reprehensible policy and put the rights of service member parents ahead of politics.”
Under the DHA’s policy, families who use Tricare and have children between the ages of 13 and 17 cannot access their children’s medical records unless the minor child authorizes them to do so. The policy blocks parental access to the full patient records of their children on Tricare’s digital platform, Genesis. According to the letter, parents can still put in a request for paper copies of their children’s health records, but those are not readily available.
Overseas service members are even more hamstrung, according to the letter addressed to Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Lester Martinez-Lopez, as policies dealing with “reproductive healthcare” say a doctor can determine whether children can keep their medical decisions secret from their parents and consent to interventions on their own.
“When reproductive health care services are requested by a minor, and the healthcare provider is satisfied the minor meets the definition of a ‘mature minor,’ the consent of the minor is sufficient to provide treatment,” according to the DHA policy. The military defines a “mature minor” as children 15 or older.
“Some complicating circumstances may necessitate the notification of a minor’s parent, legal guardian, surrogate decision maker, or sponsor,” the policy continues. “These include life-threatening conditions, conditions that may require the removal of reproductive organs, and a change in behavior that brings into question the maturity with which the minor is approaching their health care that may result in potential harm to themselves or others.”
If a child is deemed mature enough by a doctor, they could receive a diagnosis that “may require the removal of reproductive organs.” A diagnosis could include gender dysphoria.
“Such a scenario may lead to a situation where servicemember parents stationed overseas have no opportunity to engage with their child about a life changing decision until the point that a provider deems it is required that they have their reproductive organs removed,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “Even then, the provider may not decide it is necessary to notify the child’s parents. This policy is reprehensible.”
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As the Washington Examiner reported, on-base doctors will also request or even demand to have “alone time” with minor patients, kicking parents out of the room.
A DHA spokesperson declined to comment on the letter but said the agency will respond to the members of Congress directly.