According to the Human Rights Council, 20 states in the United States have enacted laws that prohibit gender-affirming care for individuals under the age of 18. Additionally, seven more states are currently contemplating implementing similar policies or laws. However, there is a case of a young woman who went through a perplexing situation that she believes involved receiving inaccurate medical information, being coerced, and experiencing malpractice when she was young. She has filed a lawsuit against Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and the Permanente Medical groups because they conducted gender surgery on her when she was just 13 years old.
Due to external influences from online sources and underlying conditions that made her more vulnerable to suggestion, Layla Jane wrongly believed she identified as a boy. When she was just a child, doctors performed a double mastectomy, removing her breasts, and had previously prescribed puberty blockers and hormones after Jane expressed her gender identity as male to her parents. However, in hindsight, Jane realized the impact of online influences and recognized her pre-existing conditions that made her more susceptible to those suggestions.
Girl Sues Hospital for Removing Her Breasts at Age 13 https://t.co/UHBAORnMIw
— Lara Logan (@laralogan) June 16, 2023
Seeking medical advice, Jane’s parents consulted with doctors regarding her situation. As reported by The Epoch Times, psychologist Doreen Samelson was one of three doctors who expressed the opinion that Jane was too young for hormone therapies. However, other physicians held different views. Jane alleges that none of the medical professionals on her team made any effort to address her comfort in her own body or engage in meaningful discussions or inquiries.
Furthermore, the lawsuit asserts that the medical team failed to investigate, explore, or attempt to understand the psychological factors contributing to Jane’s belief that she was transgender. Not a single member of the team evaluated or treated the various symptoms and complexities of Jane’s condition.
At the age of 18, Jane has detransitioned and now lives as a woman. To cope with her social anxiety, she receives psychotherapy, which the lawsuit argues should have been considered by her medical team before performing the life-altering surgery. Jane asserts that neither she nor her parents could have provided informed consent for the procedure due to her young age, her mental state at the time, and her distorted understanding of her condition and future outlook.
According to Jane, the doctors never disclosed to her or her parents that individuals who undergo transition often experience other physical and mental health challenges, along with a higher suicide rate. Additionally, they failed to inform her about the percentage of individuals who detransition. In the United States in 2022, approximately 8% of all transgender individuals made the decision to detransition, with about 3% doing so for medical reasons. Furthermore, Jane claims that her parents were coerced by the doctors, who presented them with two options: having a living son or a deceased daughter.
In the lawsuit, Jane is seeking financial compensation to cover her ongoing medical expenses, damages for the pain and suffering she has endured, as well as legal costs.
