BJC, Wash U leaders add oversight, reject moratorium at transgender center during investigation

ST. LOUIS (KMOV) - BJC and Washington University’s leaders say they’re adding more oversight at a St. Louis transgender care center during an investigation into practices there.

This follows scrutiny leveled by a former employee claiming children are being harmed. In a letter to the attorney general, the two organizations said they continue to review the allegations.

The leaders rejected the Missouri attorney general’s request for a moratorium on puberty and hormone therapy at the center, saying they won’t deny critical care to patients. They did, however, say additional oversight of the center will be established “out of an abundance of caution.”

Letter to Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey from Washington University Chancellor Andrew D. Martin and BJC Healthcare President and CEO Richard J. Liekweg:

In response to Washington University and BJC rejecting the moratorium, Bailey claimed the organizations are not taking the investigation seriously.

“As the chief legal officer of the state of Missouri and a former prosecutor, I am dedicated to using the laws of the state of Missouri to hold wrongdoers accountable and protect children. This pediatric transgender clinic’s refusal to implement a moratorium on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for new patients calls into question how seriously they’re taking their internal investigation. If even ten percent of the allegations in the affidavit are true, we’ve got a serious issue. I’m proud to be leading a coalition of state agencies and marshalling resources across state government to root out any case of child abuse that occurred within that clinic. No stone will go unturned.”

Copyright 2023 KMOV. All rights reserved.