CDC advises biological men on 'chestfeeding' their babies; experts worry about risk to children

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, July 11, 2023

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published advice for trans-identified and non-binary individuals on how to breastfeed their infants, which the health agency called "chestfeeding." 

The CDC's Health Equity Considerations page explains that trans-identified or non-binary individuals may give birth and feed a child from the chest. 

"An individual does not need to have given birth to breastfeed or chestfeed," the CDC website reads. "Some families may have other preferred terminology for how they feed their babies, such as nursing, chestfeeding, or bodyfeeding." 

Another section on the CDC website on "Breastfeeding" states that trans individuals who underwent surgery to remove their breasts can still breastfeed or "chestfeed" an infant, citing the term used by trans or non-binary individuals. 

"Healthcare providers working with these families should be familiar with medical, emotional, and social aspects of gender transitions to provide optimal family-centered care and meet the nutritional needs of the infant," the CDC advises.

The public health agency notes that families in these cases may need help maximizing milk production, finding medication that induces or inhibits lactation and locating "appropriate lactation management support, peer support, and/or emotional support."

For trans or non-binary parents who do not want to "chestfeed," the CDC noted that these families may need help suppressing lactation.

Jay W. Richards, director of the Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Life, Religion, and Family and the William E. Simon senior research fellow in religious liberty and civil society at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, called for greater scrutiny of the health agency from congressional leaders. 

He told The Christian Post that the CDC showed a willingness to put politics ahead of public health during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that the "latest debacle" over "chestfeeding is even worse."

"The agency seems to be tacitly endorsing males' chestfeeding' infants with the help of experimental drug cocktail now proves that the CDC has been captured by an ideology that puts the fetishes of disturbed men over the wellbeing of infants," Richards stated. "It doesn't even pretend that these experiments have been carefully tested. Its commitment to so-called 'health equity' seems to override any old-timey concerns about the effects of drugs, and weird discharges from male bodies, on defenseless infants."

The CDC's endorsement of biological men feeding infants directly from the breast has also received pushback from several health experts, who warn that the long-term impact of the practice is not well-known. 

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, who served as an Obstetrician for 25 years and delivered over 5,000 babies, said in a statement that the CDC statement is "irresponsible"  "defies science and safety."

“In my opinion, the CDC has lost all credibility and is in direct conflict with the FDA for marketing a non-FDA approved drug," Marshall said. "A biological male filled with hormones and a concoction of other drugs that have not been studied that could harm a baby should NEVER be encouraged. When will the Woke Left wake up and realize what they are doing to our country?”

In a statement published last week by The Daily Mail, Dr. Jane Orient, executive director of the conservative Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, emphasized that it's unknown what impact a biological man using "off-label hormones" could have on children. 

"The CDC has a responsibility to talk about the health risks, but they have been derelict in doing that," Orient said. 

Another medical professional, Dr. Stuart Fischer, a New York-based internal medicine physician, also told the outlet that he doubts milk produced by a biological man is comparable to the natural breastmilk produced by a woman.

"If it's been tested a handful of times, how would we know the long-range effect?" Fischer asked. "The short-term is one thing, but the long-term in terms of physical and mental illness ... who knows? It's an emerging field, to put it mildly."

The doctor added that the situation appears to be one where "politics and science are uncomfortably put together."

Biological men who identify as women typically take hormone drugs to produce breastmilk and one of those drugs includes domperidone. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning in 2004, advising women against using the drug due to safety concerns. 

"The agency is concerned with the potential public health risks associated with domperidone. There have been several published reports and case studies of cardiac arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, and sudden death in patients receiving an intravenous form of domperidone that has been withdrawn from marketing in a number of countries," the FDA stated.

The federal agency noted that in countries that continue to market the oral form of domperidone, the labels warn that the drug is excreted in breast milk and could expose an infant to "unknown risks." Citing the possibility of "serious adverse effects," the FDA advised women against using the drug to increase milk production.