Full Breakdown
Michigan Senate Candidate Defends Doctor-Led Youth Gender Care Amid Credential Scrutiny
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
At a rally on the Michigan State University campus, Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed told students that decisions about gender-affirming treatment for minors should rest with physicians, not the government. He emphasized that patients—or their parents for those under 18—and their doctors are the only parties who should determine care. Fox News Digital has reported that El-Sayed has never held a medical license in either Michigan or New York, despite repeatedly presenting himself as a “physician.”
Background & Context
The remarks came as the Trump administration has secured agreements with major hospital systems—including Mount Sinai, Texas Children’s Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Connecticut Children’s Hospital—through the Justice Department to halt pediatric gender-transition procedures. The Federal Trade Commission has also sued the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), alleging the group failed to disclose side effects such as incontinence, pelvic pain and mood disturbances associated with cross-sex hormones. In England, the National Health Service paused cross-sex hormone prescriptions for 16- and 17-year-olds after concluding the supporting research was “really weak,” and it already bans such treatment for children under 16.
Official Statements & Responses
El-Sayed argued that government interference would undermine the clinician-patient relationship. He likened his position to the Right-to-Try Act, a law backed by conservatives that permits terminally ill patients to access experimental drugs without FDA approval, suggesting that Republicans already accept the principle that treatment decisions should not be dictated by the state. His campaign maintains that his public-health degrees and experience qualify him to be called “doctor,” even without an active clinical license.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I went to a whole a-- medical school, everybody I graduated with also went to whole a-- medical school,” — Abdul El-Sayed
- “I don't think the government gets to have a say about what healthcare is provided in what circumstances and why,” — Abdul El-Sayed
- “Not what the government says you can or can't do, but what a patient and/or their parent, if they're under 18, and their provider to decide. That's the most important thing,” — Abdul El-Sayed
- “So they agree that the decision about healthcare ought to be between the person and their provider. That's it. So let's use that standard, and keep to that standard, and make sure the government doesn't have the ability to tell you what you can or cannot do with your own life,” — Abdul El-Sayed