Beth Ann Rosica: CHOP’s key board members refuse to answer questions about sex reassignment surgeries
Ajay Suresh
Last month, I reported about Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s (CHOP) refusal to provide information or answer questions about gender reassignment surgeries performed on children and the prescribing of puberty blockers and sex hormones for children. Despite over ten requests for comment to CHOP and their Gender and Sexuality Clinic, the organization refused to speak with me or provide their annual reports which they claim on their website are available upon request.
Subsequently, I attempted to contact two of CHOP’s Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, Christopher Gheysens, and Vice Chair, Gregory Davis. The emailed request for comment asked if they were aware that CHOP was performing these surgeries and prescribing hormone and puberty blocker medications to children. It further asked if they were aware that CHOP failed to respond to my numerous requests.
Neither Gheysens nor Davis responded to emails sent to their place of employment. Gheysens serves as the CEO of Wawa, a large convenience store chain founded in the Philadelphia area with a net worth estimated at close to $19 million. Davis is the president and chief investment officer of Vanguard, an investment management company in suburban Philadelphia that manages over $9 trillion in assets.
CHOP and their board member’s lack of response is surprising given the prestige of the institution. CHOP is one of the most highly rated children’s hospitals in the country. U.S. News and World Report first published rankings in 2007, and CHOP has consistently been at the top of the list, including 2024-2025. The Department of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, located at CHOP, has been ranked as the number one Department of Pediatrics in the country by U.S. News for ten consecutive years.
While CHOP and their Board members remain complicit in their silence, Do No Harm, a nonprofit founded in 2022 to raise awareness about the irreversible harm being inflicted upon children, recently released a report with specific information. From 2019 to 2023, insurance claims show that CHOP treated 122 unique sex change patients, performed surgery on five children, provided hormone and puberty blocker medications to 117 children, and wrote 768 prescriptions for sex change medications. The charges submitted to insurance companies totaled $252,243. This does not include any billings that were paid directly by parents.
These financial figures pale in comparison to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) that also provided services to children. For the same time period, Do No Harm reports HUP treated 103 unique sex change patients, performed surgery on 93 children, provided hormone and puberty blocker medications to nine children, and wrote 47 prescriptions for sex change medications. HUP submitted the highest amount of charges to insurance carriers in the state of Pennsylvania, totaling $2,385,988. And again, this amount does not include payments made directly by parents.
Beth Serio, an RN with Do No Harm, said in an interview that CHOP and HUP are in their “dirty dozen” listing not just due to their high revenue and volume of these procedures and practices, but due to their activism in encouraging children and their families to submit to gender affirming care. She believes the “gender industry is motivated by an ideology.”
As an RN, she explained that gender ideology is “invading healthcare at the highest levels.” Serio said, “the average nurse and doctor are not activists,” yet they are silenced, disciplined or fired if they do not abide by the tenets of gender affirming care.
“These doctors are well aware of the risks to these children. Parents and children are lied to — doctors gloss over that whole part about the risks of these surgeries and medications. [Parents] cannot provide informed consent without being provided the truth.”
Last month, Do No Harm appeared at a press conference at CHOP hosted by Catholic Vote to raise awareness about the hospital’s practices in advance of the presidential election. Catholic Vote is a nonprofit organization representing Catholics across the country.
In a press release, Tommy Valentine, Director of the Catholic Accountability Project said, “People from all political persuasions and religions agree overwhelmingly that children should not be subjected to irreversible and harmful interventions because they cannot fully understand the implications. People have a right to know that these destructive procedures are being performed in a prestigious publicly owned hospital, especially ahead of this year’s elections. If Kamala Harris wins and gets her way, these harmful operations on kids will become much more common and taxpayers will pay for them.”
PA Family Institute Director of Communications, Dan Bartkowiak also participated in the press conference to call out CHOP’s policies and stance on gender affirming care. He gave this statement following the election.
“This election showed to us that an important issue to voters is protecting children from irreversible so-called ‘sex change’ surgeries and drugs. The issue hit the election airwaves, from commentators like Jordan Peterson and Matt Walsh to a host of candidates ads, including President-elect Donald Trump, addressing the harm of puberty blockers and the removal of healthy body parts on children experiencing gender dysphoria. Some of the worst-offending children’s hospitals for these types of dangerous experiments are right here in Pennsylvania, including the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and UPMC Pittsburgh. The fact that many of these experiments are taxpayer funded is salt in Pennsylvania’s nauseating wound. We hope more policy makers now see how any medical professional who continues to experiment on a child experiencing gender dysphoria or any hospital that allows these experiments is knowingly endangering the welfare of that child and violating their duty to protect the child’s wellbeing.”
All three nonprofits are focused on raising awareness about the dire consequences of gender affirming care and holding organizations, such as CHOP and HUP, accountable for their actions.
Beth Ann Rosica resides in West Chester, has a Ph.D. in Education, and has dedicated her career to advocating on behalf of at-risk children and families. She covers education issues for Broad + Liberty. Contact her at barosica@broadandliberty.com.
-England’s National Health Service disallowed puberty blockers for children following a four-year review conducted by independent researcher Dr. Hilary Cass, who wrote in her report that “for most young people, a medical pathway will not be the best way to manage their gender-related distress.”
-Last year, Dr. Riittakerttu Kaltiala, a leading Finnish expert on pediatric gender medicine, said in a newspaper interview that “four out of five” gender-questioning children will eventually grow out of it and accept their bodies even without medical intervention.
-In the US? Our experts are behaving how they did in the late 1940s, when people started questioning lobotomies, and that practice continued for 15 more years. Just last month a “prominent” doctor and trans rights advocate, Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, admitted she deliberately withheld publication of a $10 million taxpayer-funded study on the effect of puberty blockers on American children — after finding no evidence that they improve patients’ mental health. When asked by the New York Times why the results have not been made public after nine years, she said, “I do not want our work to be weaponized,” adding, “It has to be exactly on point, clear and concise. And that takes time.” Boston College clinical and research psychologist, Amy Tishelman, who was one of the original researchers on the study, pointed out the obvious contradiction in withholding scientific evidence on the grounds that it doesn’t match an expected conclusion. “I understand the fear about it being weaponized, but it’s really important to get the science out there.” Erica Anderson, a clinical psychologist and a transgender youth expert, [said] she was “shocked” and “disturbed” about the decision to withhold publication of such vital research.
“We’re craving information about these medical treatments for gender-questioning youth. Dr. Olson-Kennedy has the largest grant that’s ever been awarded in the US on the subject and is sitting on data that would be helpful to know,” she said. “It’s not her prerogative to decide based on the results that she will or won’t publish them.”
She also wasn’t buying Olson-Kennedy’s rationale for holding back the study’s findings based on fear of backlash. “It’s contrary to the scientific method. You do research, and then you disclose what the results are,” she said.
“You don’t change them, you don’t distort them, and you don’t reveal or not reveal them based on the reactions of others. You report as scientists what you’ve learned.”
Lets see what is wrong with Miss Rosica’s claims.
She is not entitled to get patient data, given her beliefs, she is more likely to use it to persecute the families involved. To say nothing of the legality of releasing this information to someone outside of the medical community.
Next there is Beth Serio a nurse in the employ of Do No Harm, who is a Cardiac Nurse with no experience or training in this area. Using the opinions of a Cardiac Nurse is like asking a Real Estate Attorney to defend someone accused of murder.
Her claim that, “These doctors are well aware of the risks to these children. Parents and children are lied to — doctors gloss over that whole part about the risks of these surgeries and medications.” As she well knows any Doctor who withholds information is risking medical malpractice and the loss of their license.
Miss Rosica constantly promotes parents rights, except when she does not approve of something that does not affect her. The process for a full sex change takes years and is a multi step process that involves changing names, hair, clothing, and therapy. To get the surgery itself it requires multiple medical and psychological doctors to sign off on, along with the parents.
Judah,
Because I know you mean well, so at the risk of being rude, please allow me to “mansplain” your ignorant use of the word: miss [what a miss it was.]
Miss is traditionally used for unmarried women or young girls, while Ms. is a neutral title that doesn’t indicate marital status and can be used for any adult woman. It’s best to follow the preference of the woman being addressed, but if unsure, Ms. is a safe option.
People sometimes mistake Ms. for an abbreviation of Miss, since other titles are conventionally abbreviated in writing (e.g., Mrs., Mr., Dr.). In fact, they’re two different terms with different pronunciations, and Miss has no abbreviation but is always written in full.
Since both titles can refer to unmarried women, it can be difficult to decide which is the right choice. Always follow the preference of the woman being addressed, but if you’re not sure of her preference, the following general guidelines may help:
Miss is the form always used for girls—Ms. is only used for adult women (18 or older).
Ms. is generally used for unmarried women. It’s also a safe option for women of any age whom you are unsure how to address.
Ms. can also be used (instead of Mrs.) for a married woman. Miss cannot be used in this way.
By the way, I think you meant Dr.
Judah, your argument is ridiculous. No one is looking to out families who were manipulated into going along with these horrific experiments on their children. If you are ok with sterilizing and castrating children via surgery and medication then just say that.
” No one is looking to out families who were manipulated into going along with these horrific experiments on their children. If you are ok with sterilizing and castrating children via surgery and medication then just say that.” – Your statement demonstrates exactly why people like Miss Rosica should not have this information.
You are correct in stating that it use to take years living as the other sex before receiving a sex change surgery. This was the case in adults. In the case of children, they are trying to begin treatment as soon as possible before secondary sexual characteristics are formed. Therefore they begin quickly without having the patient live as the other sex for any extended period of time. That is the problem. The children don’t fully understand the long term consequences either. They should be shown exactly what would be done to them and all the potential risks and side effects. The children and their parents should also understand that this radical and life changing intervention will not necessarily improve their mental health as stated in previous studies. These interventions require continued medical and physical treatments for the rest of their lives.
“The children don’t fully understand the long term consequences either. They should be shown exactly what would be done to them and all the potential risks and side effects.” They are being shown this, along with the parents. The parents are the only ones who can authorize this surgery.
“These interventions require continued medical and physical treatments for the rest of their lives.” As do a number of medical treatments.
If you support the parents rights movement, then you should support parents and their children to do what is best for them. Instead of imposing your beliefs on others.
When someone acts like a child they should be addressed with the appropriate title.
That is beautifully written… let’s explore that phrase “acts like a child.” Your statement implies you recognize obvious differences between children and adults. We agree, yet again, on something. There is a difference between childlike and childish, too.
The terms “childlike” and “childish” both relate to characteristics associated with children, but they carry different connotations:
Childlike: This term has a positive connotation and refers to qualities that are innocent, trusting, and open-hearted. A childlike person may exhibit wonder, curiosity, and a sense of joy in simple things. It suggests a purity of spirit and an ability to see the world with fresh eyes, often embodying traits that are admirable and desirable in adults.
Childish: In contrast, “childish” has a negative connotation and refers to behavior that is immature, self-centered, or lacking in responsibility. When someone is described as childish, it often implies that they are acting in a way that is inappropriate for their age, such as throwing tantrums or being overly emotional. It suggests a failure to grow up or take on adult responsibilities.
In summary, “childlike” is associated with positive, admirable traits, while “childish” refers to negative, immature behaviors.
We do not agree on anything and at no time did I use the term childish or childlike.
I am the parent of a special needs teen. While he has had excellent care at CHOP for various issues from birth and I will dread him turning 18 and having to transfer to another hospital, I do believe these claims are indeed true and think it’s out of control. My son has no concept of any of this. Chop offers anyone a “pronoun stickers”. The last time we saw a provider , her name tag had the pride flag on it and her pronouns. I am not sure if it’s required or a choice. I communicate with follow special needs parents , mostly woke white suburbanites and cannot tell you how many claim their children who are on the spectrum are trans. I know my own has no comprehension of this subject so I have to wonder if someone is pushing it on them. One parent even raves about all the things their now daughter received like new clothing and cosmetology services!!