NW Kentucky News

Chairwoman Lisa McClain of the Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services is scrutinizing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) following concerns about a $9.7 million taxpayer-funded study on puberty blockers for transgender youth. The principal investigator, Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, has reportedly withheld the study's findings.

In her letter to NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli, McClain requested documents and information regarding the ongoing project titled "The Impact of Early Medical Treatment in Transgender Youth." She expressed concern over Dr. Olson-Kennedy's decision not to publish research findings that question the effectiveness of the "gender affirming" model due to fears they might be used by critics.

The Trans Youth Care (TYC) study, part of this project, involved administering puberty blockers to 95 children at early puberty stages and monitoring their mental health over two years. While Dr. Olson-Kennedy suggested no clinical impacts were observed, a 2020 paper by TYC researchers indicated that participants had troubling mental health symptoms at the study's onset.

McClain stated, “Dr. Olson-Kennedy’s apparent mischaracterization of the TYC study’s results and refusal to publish taxpayer-funded research because they contradict her pre-existing biases and could be cited by critics of ‘gender affirming’ medical interventions is an irrefutable example of politicization of scientific research to further an ideological agenda.”

She emphasized that withholding these results could have significant implications for children's health subjected to gender-affirming procedures without sufficient scientific backing for their safety or efficacy.

McClain called on NIH to ensure transparency and integrity in its funded research projects, urging them to provide necessary documents for committee oversight.