Sens. Marshall and Cassidy Lead Letter to CDC Criticizing Transgender ‘Chestfeeding’ Guidance

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. led a letter to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) with the Ranking Member on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Senator Bill Cassidy, demanding answers for their recent guidance on transgender ‘chestfeeding.’ The letter highlights the severe health risks that ‘chestfeeding’ poses to an infant and the CDC’s blatant disregard for the newborn’s health and safety by endorsing this risky practice. 

“This guidance, however, seems driven by political considerations rather than science, and the Agency has provided no explanation of the reasoning and data behind these recommendations,” the Senators wrote in the letter.

“What is explicitly left out is the acknowledgement of limited research on the ability of transgender individuals to breastfeed infants,” the letter continues. “CDC also does not provide any information about any unique health and safety risks posed to the transgender individual or the infant.”

“While this lack of transparency is troubling, perhaps the most concerning aspect of the CDC guidance is where the Agency states that health care providers should help transgender individuals obtain “Medication to induce lactation.”  As you know, there are currently no medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to increase the supply of breast milk,” the Senators wrote. 

“The CDC should only issue guidance that is informed by sound data and that informs people of potential health risks,” the letter says. “To issue breastfeeding guidance that does not highlight the clear risks posed to transgender women breastfeeding unnecessarily puts the parent and infant in jeopardy of potentially serious health complications. The CDC has already lost credibility amongst a wide swath of Americans due to the perception that the Agency’s guidance is driven by politics, rather than science.”

You may click HERE or scroll below to read the full letter.