Fact check: Grade school children are being taken against their will and having gender-change surgeries without their parents' permission

1. Summary of the results

The claim about grade school children being forcibly subjected to gender-change surgeries without parental consent is definitively false. Multiple medical institutions in North Carolina, including ECU Health, UNC Health, and Duke Health, have explicitly confirmed they do not perform gender surgeries on toddlers or prepubescent children ^[1]. Medical experts consistently state that:

• No gender-affirming surgeries are performed on prepubescent children ^[1]
• All medical procedures require extensive evaluation and explicit parental consent ^[1]
• Schools do not and cannot perform any medical procedures ^[2]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original statement omits several crucial pieces of context about gender-affirming care:

• Medical transition treatments are not recommended for children before puberty ^[1]
• Any gender-related medical care requires:

Extensive consultation

Psychological assessment

• Explicit parental consent ^[2]
• Even in states where gender-affirming surgery might be legal for minors, parental consent is always required ^[2]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

This type of misinformation appears to be part of a larger pattern of unfounded claims about gender-affirming care. The statement:

• Falsely suggests that schools have the ability to perform medical procedures, which they do not ^[2]
• Creates unnecessary panic about children being "taken against their will" when all medical institutions require extensive evaluation and parental consent ^[1]
• Ignores the fact that medical professionals consistently emphasize these claims are completely unfounded ^[2]

Such misinformation can benefit:

• Political actors seeking to create moral panic around gender issues
• Organizations fundraising off of parental fears
• Media outlets seeking engagement through controversial topics

The consistent testimony from medical institutions and experts directly contradicts these inflammatory claims, showing them to be baseless fear-mongering rather than factual concerns.