CNA Staff, Feb 20, 2025 / 13:05 pm (CNA).
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated Wednesday that “there are only two sexes, female and male,” defining sex as “unchangeable and determined by objective biology.”
The announcement comes in the wake of President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14168, which affirms the biological reality of sex, as well as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation last week as secretary of the HHS.
“There are only two sexes, female and male, because there are only two types of gametes,” the Feb. 19 HHS statement read. “An individual human is either female or male based on whether the person is of the sex characterized by a reproductive system with the biological function of producing eggs (ova) or sperm.”
Affirming the existence of biological sex is essential for protecting women’s spaces and for the government as a whole, the HHS noted.
“Recognizing the immutable and biological nature of sex is essential to ensure the protection of women’s health, safety, private spaces, sports, and opportunities,” the statement read. “Restoring biological truth to the federal government is critical to scientific inquiry, public safety, morale, and trust in government itself.”
The statement noted that sex is “determined genetically at conception” and highlighted that sex cannot be changed.
“The use of hormones or surgical interventions do not change a person’s sex,” the announcement said.
The HHS acknowledged the possibility of sexual development disorders, noting that a person with this kind of disorder “does not produce gametes other than eggs or sperm.”
“Rare disorders of sexual development do not constitute a third sex because these disorders do not lead to the production of a third gamete,” the statement noted.
The announcement also noted the importance of acknowledging the two sexes in medical research.
“The department has long recognized that the biological differences between females and males require sex-specific practices in medicine and research to ensure optimal health outcomes and rigorous research, including by considering sex as a biological variable,” the statement read.
In the statement, the HHS defined several terms relating to sex including female and male, mother and father, man and woman, and girl and boy.
The HHS defined sex as “a person’s immutable biological classification as either male or female.” It defines female as “a person of the sex characterized by a reproductive system with the biological function of producing eggs (ova)” and male as “a person of the sex characterized by a reproductive system with the biological function of producing sperm.”
The HHS defined a mother as “a female parent” and a father as “a male parent.” In addition, it defines a woman as an “adult human female” and a man as “an adult human male.” A girl is defined as “a minor human female” and a boy as “a minor human male.”
Under the initiative, the HHS launched a new webpage for the Office on Women’s Health titled “Protecting Women and Children.” The page includes a video of Riley Gaines — a swimmer who gained attention for speaking out about being forced to compete with a male — speaking about keeping men out of women’s sports.
The new page also includes links to guidance on gender-related issues. For instance, the webpage has a section on “defending women,” directing federal agencies to recognize the two sexes and update their policies to reflect that. In addition, the webpage also has a section on “protecting children” from chemical and surgical mutilation.
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Clearly, this guidance is a demonstration of executive overreach! After all, we have the female U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson who cannot define what a woman is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWtGzJxiONU
Before we know it, some judge is going to contest whether the world is round or flat. And we know even by empirical animal behavior, that if the world were flat a cat would push stuff over the edge! Or, in Robert Bolt’s “A Man for all Seasons, this from the mind of the later beheaded St. Thomas More:
“Some men think the Earth is round, others think it flat; it is a matter capable of question. But if it is flat, will the King’s [the U.S. Supreme Court’s!] command make it round? And if it is round, will the King’s command flatten it? No, I will not sign.”
As per Christian teaching. And RFK was nominated by DT. And DT signs Executive Order to eradicate anti-Christian bias!:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/eradicating-anti-christian-bias/
Two genders? Yes, RFK Jr would know. He is a Kennedy after all.
What does that even mean? And do you disagree that there are only two sexes?
I believe his observation pertained to establishing clarity towards philandering. But I don’t imagine Brown University admissions will have an easy time whittling down their list of 47 genders.
He’s speaking to their reputations, I believe.
There are only two sexes and the whole trans sexual thing is nonsense. My comment on RFK Jr was amusement about him being our tutor on matters sexual. Obviously, you didn’t get it.
You rhetorical hand-grenade just went off in your lap.
Ted Kennedy would agree.
Trump did well nominating RFK, Jr.
WOW! Brain worms? Muffled, stumbled and inaudible speech?
Politifact: ‘I never said it’: RFK Jr. downplays past statements during Senate confirmation hearing. Kennedy compared the CDC’s vaccine program with Nazi death camps. Kennedy said “tremendous circumstantial evidence” linked school shootings to antidepressants.” Trump said he was going to “turn him loose” in his new role.
Kennedy said “tremendous circumstantial evidence” linked school shootings to antidepressants”.
Trump’s plan, (for us), by appointing in-your-face unqualified creatures is dauntingly unAmerican, and a threat to our democracy.
Amazingly, Trump said this week that “Ukraine started the war’ and that Zaleneskyy was a “dictator who was never elected”. That statement shook our allies and threatened to break our NATO alliances. His admiration of Putin, a mass murderer having been labeled by International Criminal Court a “war criminal. And Trump said Putin was a “brilliant man”. He proved that his “pardon” of hundreds of Capitol insurrectionists, that he was indeed responsible for the Capitol riot causing many Capitol officers to be seriously injured and some even die.
No question Trump, with his executive orders causing notiioanal uprisings and his disdain for the rule of law. It has has caused a Constitutional crisis that places our national security at risk.
I realize that I got off the subject, but the connection of RFK Jr. and Trump cannot be ignored.
At one of the most dangerous times in US and the world, We must pray to Jesus to ask for his intervention. Seems like all sanity is history.
TDS – acute and chronic type.
Mr Morgan from what I’ve read RFK Jr. has a condition that causes his voice to sound that way. That’s surely not his fault.
Many people in developing countries suffer the effects of parasites. That’s not their fault either. I knew a family whose son had roundworm cysts in his brain . He was perfectly ok after treatment.
Why would you bring those physical ailments up when they really signify nothing?
mrsc, Like many of Trump’s appointees, RFK Jr. is seriously unqualified. His willful disregard for the scientific process, in particular his false assessments that certain vaccines are not needed, even Polio.
Factcheck: Kennedy insists he’s not “anti-vaccine,” but many of his debunked arguments are straight from the anti-vaccine playbook, which he and his nonprofit have helped write. Kennedy also promotes conspiracy theories. He believes the CIA was behind the killing of his uncle, and likely his father.
Trump said he would “turn him loose on day one.” Just like DOD Secretary Pete Hegseth, who continues to make policy errors that frighten our allies, an experienced doctor and a General with management experience, should run those departments.
Thanks.
https://www.factcheck.org/2023/08/scicheck-factchecking-robert-f-kennedy-jr/
Two sexes.
I’m done with gender.
Gender really used to mean the same thing in conversations. It just got hijacked recently. I’m ok with saying gender. I think Christians should take back the rainbow, too.
🙂🌈
How wonderful to see the absence of ‘gender’ in these government publications. Gender is for nouns, sex is for people.
There is a world of difference between “a government official said it because it is true” and “it is true because a government official said it.” Sadly, this administration seems to be leaning toward the latter.
You have it completely backwards. Do you think anyone in the opposition to this administration can even define natural law?
Do you SERIOUSLY think “the father of IVF” could, either? The faults of woke liberals can and often are shared by anti-woke liberals (to borrow a phrase from Thomas Mirus) like Trump and Musk.
Vive La Difference! As poet writer Anatole France penned. If the world was inhabited by men alone how horrible would that be? Likewise if everyone was woman. God in his unsurpassable genius knew what’s best.
We wouldn’t have had Maurice Chevalier singing songs in praise of women. Nor would we have had future Pope John XXIII Angelo Roncalli designated papal nuncio to France 1944, who intervened to save Chevalier from execution for collaboration with Nazi occupiers entertaining German troops.
Our Woked world wants absolute equality by adopting the impossible fragmenting of the natural order. Divide and unite by creating a third gender? Or divide and impose a disordered societal diagram united by force of law as it was under Biden. Man since the Fall from grace in wanting to be God is disrupting the order of nature and natural beauty creating instead monstrosity.
Clarification was badly needed. The issue isn’t who stated it, corner-of-the-mouth and smirking responses aside. The unbelievably sad thing is that it’s needed at all.
As a mother of elementary school children I couldn’t be happier about this. Thank you RFK Jr and all newly elected officials who are working hard to restore truth and protect our children.
When the scandal and nonsense of the second Trump administration—and there will be much—really starts to show forth, just hearken back to this executive order and the others like it, and it will all seem worth it.
And as for your first administration, Mr. Trump, I thank you for overturning Roe v. Wade. It took you to get it done, really, and I think a frank public acknowledgment and gratitude from the bishops of the USA and the bishop of Rome is in order.
“Scandal and nonsense”??? Trump can only lead, he cannot be responsible for the PERSONAL actions of individuals. Not anymore than the church should be blamed for what certain priests did during the sex scandals. The issue is its hard for people to know what Trump is ACTUALLY doing, because the media lies and exaggerates about him so often. Then too, followers on the left are too ready to believe the lies. I have seen a few videos of conservative journalists trying to uncover how leftist voters feel about the frauds being uncovered by DOGE. Far too many people hysterically replied that they “didnt believe it”. The left has done immeasurable damage to the country in the last four years, but prior administrations have laid the groundwork. They have taught their voters that not only do they NOT agree with Republicans on the issues. But the republicans have somehow morphed into enemy nazis. It is beyond disgusting. The next tragedy perpetrated by one of their propagandized minions will be on their head.