A plastic surgeon, who completed his training at a prominent Manhattan hospital, has expressed regret for not speaking out after witnessing a 13-year-old undergoing what he termed “irreversible” sex surgery. On “Fox & Friends,” Dr. Ira Savetsky stated, “As a father of three young children and as a doctor who is sworn to do no harm, I couldn’t speak out. I just want to thank President Trump for being more clear on this.”
Dr. Savetsky, trained at NYU Langone Health, discussed the culture in elite medical programs, suggesting that it discourages dissent. “You’re in the top plastic surgery program. Just be grateful to be there. There’s little room for voicing concerns. You’re a soldier…” he remarked.
His comments followed the news that a Manhattan hospital planned to terminate its transgender youth health program, a response to regulatory pressure from the Trump administration, which had threatened to cut federal funding to hospitals offering such care.
A spokesperson for the hospital explained, “Given the recent resignation of our medical director and the current regulatory environment, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue our Transgender Youth Health Program.”
In discussing his experiences, Savetsky reflected on the pressures families face when children question their gender identity. “I can only imagine what the parents were going through. They were told that if they didn’t get the surgery, their child would commit suicide,” he noted. He acknowledged that parents often feel enormous pressure and are compelled to do everything for their children’s well-being. “Unfortunately, I think there was a lot of financial motivation for these facilities,” he added.
NYU Langone has not yet commented on the situation.
