When I enlisted in the Army in 2001, I recall the part of in-processing that had me lying naked on an exam table with only a big, white sheet covering my body, tented by my knees. I was told that the physician was going to walk in, lift the sheet to observe my genitalia, and walk out. That’s exactly what he did. The U.S. Army found that my anatomy was commensurate with what is defined as “female.” In other words, sex was defined by anatomy.

Fast forward about 20 years, and I attended the September 2022 Contraceptive Technology Virtual Conference in an attempt to stay informed in my role as the clinical consultant for the Title X Family Planning Program in Kansas.

As an experienced registered nurse and public health professional trained in the fundamental truths of anatomy and biology, I was surprised when conference speakers gave preemptive apologies for using the word “woman.” When they used the word “woman,” they explained it was only to mirror the older, less politically correct research they referenced. They even made it a point to say they were aware of the offense it may cause because it did not include members of the “trans” community.

Each time I heard this, I wondered: Why are medical professionals apologizing for using the lexicon firmly established in every sphere of life—social, cultural, academic, philosophical, scientific? I realized there was a social construct to “woman,” but that didn’t contradict basic anatomy and genetics, which are visually observable.

One presenter suggested we stop using the term “women’s clinic” and begin asking patients if they are comfortable with using anatomical terms like “vagina” or if they prefer made-up terms like “front-hole.”

This is the salient point of gender ideology — the truth is irrelevant. I would go one step further and say the truth is being undermined at the behest of proclaimed authorities of inclusion and diversity.

I know I am not alone, professionally. Where are all my fellow nurses, providers, and researchers who stand on eternal truth?

More recently, I have seen guides put forth by local breastfeeding coalitions on the implementation of vocabulary that is more “inclusive,” such as “chestfeeding” in lieu of breastfeeding. All of this is to assuage a small but ever-growing percentage of people who reject biological reality and want to be something other than their actual sex.

In 2017, I was 41 years old and at a pinnacle point in my career. I was Assistant Director of Clinical Operations in a local health department and the President of the Association of Public Health Nurses (APHN). I served both of these roles while finishing my RWJF Health Policy Fellowship and working on my master’s in public health.

In the eyes of today’s high-performing culture, I was successful, but my husband’s health propelled me to a role that could accommodate the needs of my family. His health issues were unexpected, so I needed to be working closer to home.

So, that same year, I transitioned into my current role as a Title X Family Planning Clinical Consultant. But I am now at a point in my life where I can no longer reconcile my values and professional role in this program.

Title X, a federal grant program to provide sexual health and family planning services, is available for all adolescents without regard to age. With this program, minors are legally allowed to access contraception, for example, without a parent or guardian. That’s right, Title X providers must keep patient information confidential from parents.

Providing education and counseling on contraceptive methods and how to prevent exposure to sexually transmitted infections is one thing. This is factual information, and it’s very straightforward. However, the services go well beyond that. Affirming an adolescent’s identity that is inconsistent with their anatomy is a dangerous treachery of the highest order because confusion and lies are being affirmed.

It doesn’t just stop with “social transitioning” for minors. Surgical and other forms of medical transitioning lead to permanent health complications and a life-long patient status. All of this sells lies to our youth. No amount of surgery or hormones will ever make a male a female or vice versa.

When big organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists release guidance on providing “gender-affirming care,” they’re giving pseudoscience a stamp of legitimacy. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it — and struggling. My job was to measure practice against nationally recognized “gold standards,” and those are changing before my eyes.

As caretakers for those struggling with dementia know, you never affirm the “worms they see crawling on the wall,” but you respond with compassion and reorient them to reality and the truth. Affirming lies only furthers their confusion and does more harm than good.

Treating people with dignity and respect because they are human beings is no longer sufficient in so-called health care. Validating and legitimizing gender identities that contradict basic anatomy and genetics are now ubiquitously suggested and, at times, outright demanded. How do they demand it? The medical establishment demands the world cede the established terms of male and female.

What happens in the medical establishment trickles down into mass culture, too. After I shared my thoughts on changing culture with a writing group, the leader suggested I look into the story of Riley Gaines. After all, the issue is the same, but it manifests differently in college sports versus health care.

Upon Googling Riley Gaines, I found Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) and knew I needed to tell them about my experience. IWF isn’t just documenting the stories of female athletes like Gaines, they are providing a platform for individuals to make their voices heard on a wide range of women’s issues.

Then I discovered IWF’s Identity Crisis documentary series where detransitioners Prisha Mosley, Isabelle Ayala, and Soren Aldaco completely exposed the dangerous sequelae of gender ideology. I was angry. I remember asking myself: Where are all the sane, ethical health professionals? Why aren’t these young ladies’ parents being told the truth?

Where does this insanity end? At best, it feels like an arrogant attempt to erase the experience of half the population. At worst, it serves girls and women up as an all-you-can-eat prey buffet for men who will claim to be women — not because they truly suffer from gender dysphoria, but because they are predators seeking access to female-only spaces.

Emboldened voices scream about the injustice of appropriation when it comes to racial and ethnic groups, but where is the outcry in defense of the appropriation of women, as if dresses and makeup are the sum of the female experience? To undermine women — those who gave birth to every group, every nation, indeed the world — through imitation is a great injustice.

Yes, men plant their seed, but women are the ones who labor to grow that new human life in their womb and give birth to a human baby. It is a beautiful and elegantly simple design that honors both men and women. The medical industry I’ve been a part of for several decades used to recognize this.

I will not play the pronoun game or any gender-neutralizing tactic to mock a perfect design. I will not apologize for using the word woman. I am a woman.

* * *

Ivonne Rivera-Newberry is a Title X Clinical Consultant for the Kansas Department of Health & Environment and an experienced Registered Nurse with four decades of service to the healthcare industry.

The view expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.