Harvard Rewards Woke Politics, Cutting Off NPR & PBS plus Live Action goes Undercover on Planned Parenthood Week In Review

Summary

Verdict with Ted Cruz – Episode Summary

Podcast Information:

• Title: Verdict with Ted Cruz
• Host/Author: Premiere Networks
• Description: Join Senator Ted Cruz and co-host Ben Ferguson as they dissect the most critical news stories of the day, unveiling their implications for listeners. Dive behind the scenes of the political debates shaping the nation on "Verdict with Ted Cruz," supported by Jobs, Freedom, and Security PAC.
• Episode: Harvard Rewards Woke Politics, Cutting Off NPR & PBS plus Live Action goes Undercover on Planned Parenthood Week In Review
• Release Date: May 10, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of "Verdict with Ted Cruz," hosts Senator Ted Cruz and Ben Ferguson delve into three major stories dominating the week's headlines: Harvard University's alleged adoption of radical affirmative action policies, the potential defunding of NPR and PBS, and an undercover investigation exposing Planned Parenthood's practices concerning hormone treatments for minors. Skipping over the commercial segments, the hosts focus on delivering a comprehensive analysis of these pressing issues.

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1. Harvard's Affirmative Action in the Law Review

[01:06 – 08:21]

Overview: The episode opens with a discussion about Harvard University's Law Review and its evolving selection criteria for student editors. Senator Cruz raises concerns about the institution's shift towards explicitly race-based selections, arguing that it compromises meritocracy and violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

Key Points:

• Selective Process: The Harvard Law Review is highly prestigious, with only about 40 out of 560 students making the cut. Historically, selections were based on a combination of grades and a rigorous writing competition.

• Affirmative Action Shift: Cruz notes that an increasing number of slots are now reserved for affirmative action, explicitly considering race as a factor in editor selection. He states, "The Harvard Law Review now uses race explicitly to, number one, select their editors" [05:00].

• Personal Anecdote: Sharing his experience, Cruz recounts a debate on affirmative action within the Law Review, highlighting the perceived arrogance and bias of opposing views. He emphasizes, "They believe if merit were the only criterion, only white men would get in that. No one who is African American would get in" [07:01].

• Implications: Cruz warns that such policies not only undermine the integrity of the selection process but also contribute to broader societal divisions. He asserts, "The arrogance of that imbecile just showed it." [07:01]

Notable Quotes:

• Cruz on Title VI violation: "Is violates Title 6." [05:02]
• On gender inclusion: "The Harvard affirmative action program did not include gender... no women would make it." [07:01]

Insights: The discussion highlights concerns about the balance between diversity initiatives and maintaining merit-based standards. Cruz's perspective underscores a belief that current affirmative action practices at Harvard may be discriminatory and counterproductive to fostering true equality.

---

2. Potential Defunding of NPR and PBS

[12:52 – 21:15]

Overview: The hosts shift focus to the federal government's stance on NPR and PBS, examining President Trump's executive order aimed at terminating taxpayer subsidies to these public broadcasting entities. Cruz criticizes NPR for producing content he deems overly liberal and ideologically driven.

Key Points:

• Executive Order: President Trump signed an order to end financial support for NPR and PBS, labeling them as "partisan propaganda outlets." Cruz elaborates, "NPR and PBS, they will be shut down from cash." [13:23]

• Examples of NPR's Content: Cruz cites several NPR stories he finds objectionable, including:

  • An article titled "Cannibalism, it's perfectly natural," discussing the consumption of human placenta [14:00].
  • A critique of the Declaration of Independence, labeling it as "a document with flaws and deeply ingrained hypocrisies" [14:30].
  • A Valentine's Day piece on "Queer Animals" and discussions on "white privilege" [15:28].

• Accusations of Indoctrination: Cruz argues that NPR and PBS misuse taxpayer dollars to promote leftist agendas, indoctrinating the public with biased narratives. He states, "They are idiots. They are radicals. They're zealots." [15:30]

• Call to Action: The hosts discuss the potential pushback against this defunding effort and express optimism about its success. Cruz mentions, "I am hopeful. I want it to happen. I'm fighting to make it happen." [16:20]

Notable Quotes:

• On NPR's departure from tradition: "The Declaration of Independence is apparently no longer allowed on NPR because apparently Hating America is NPR's mission." [15:30]
• On NPR's editorial changes: "Editor’s note... contains offensive language about Native Americans." [15:28]

Insights: This segment reflects a broader political debate about the role of public media and its perceived biases. Cruz and Ferguson position NPR and PBS as entities that stray from objective reporting, advocating for their defunding as a means to curb what they view as ideological indoctrination.

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3. Planned Parenthood's Prescribing Practices Exposed

[22:18 – 30:35]

Overview: In the final segment, Cruz and Ferguson discuss an undercover sting by Live Action, which revealed Planned Parenthood prescribing cross-sex hormones to minors with minimal oversight. The hosts condemn these practices as child abuse and call for congressional action to defund Planned Parenthood.

Key Points:

• Undercover Investigation: Live Action posed as a 16-year-old seeking gender-affirming care. The investigation found that several Planned Parenthood clinics prescribed hormones without requiring parental consent, therapy, or extensive medical evaluation [23:01].

• Audio Evidence: The podcast features a recorded conversation where a caller named Sophia—a 16-year-old—succeeds in scheduling hormone treatments on the same day as her appointment, without prior therapy or documentation [25:20 – 27:44].

• Health Risks: Cruz emphasizes the potential dangers of hormone treatments for minors, including permanent infertility and other irreversible effects. He labels Planned Parenthood's actions as "child abuse" [27:31 – 29:36].

• Call for Defunding: Both hosts advocate for the cessation of federal funding to Planned Parenthood, stating, "We need to defund Planned Parenthood. You shouldn't be forced to pay for the sterilization of kids." [29:36]

Notable Quotes:

• On hormone prescriptions: "Live Action did an undercover investigation in which a woman posed as a 16-year-old minor... seek gender-affirming care. At least seven different facilities said sure they would provide cross sex hormones at the first appointment." [23:11]
• Cruz on government's role: "You're in our special protected class, and we want to see you succeed in your transgenderism... that's not supposed to be the job of the court." [10:55]

Insights: This segment underscores the hosts' stance against gender-affirming treatments for minors, framing them as reckless and harmful. The discussion ties into broader themes of government overreach and the protection of children's welfare, advocating for legislative action to restrain such practices.

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Conclusion

Throughout the episode, Senator Ted Cruz and Ben Ferguson present a critical view of progressive policies and institutions, advocating for traditional values and accountability. From challenging affirmative action practices at Harvard to calling for the defunding of public media and Planned Parenthood, the hosts emphasize a conservative perspective on issues they perceive as threats to societal norms and individual freedoms. They encourage listeners to engage with these topics further by subscribing to their podcasts and staying informed on ongoing political developments.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Cruz on Harvard’s selection process: "The Harvard Law Review now uses race explicitly to, number one, select their editors." [05:00]
• Cruz on NPR’s agenda: "They are idiots. They are radicals. They're zealots." [15:30]
• Cruz on Planned Parenthood: "Live Action is fast tracking vulnerable children into irreversible hormone treatments... This is not health care. It is child abuse, and it must be stopped." [28:00]

This summary encapsulates the key discussions and viewpoints expressed in the podcast episode, providing listeners with a clear understanding of the topics covered and the hosts' perspectives.

Transcript

[Ritual Host]

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[Ben Ferguson]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Ted Cruz, the Week in Review, Ben Ferguson with you. And here are the big stories that you may have missed that we talked about this week. First up, we may be finding out a lot more about what Harvard has been doing with your tax dollars. This the president has said we are going to stop sending money to Harvard after some of their radical ideology has been on full display, including rewarding students with big grants. Who after Jewish students? We'll have those details for you in just a second. Also, npr, are we going to defund them? It looks like there's a very good chance NPR may have to stand on their own two legs for the first time ever. Why will this happen and what could it mean for your tax dollars? And finally, Planned Parenthood in an undercover sting operation is exposed for prescribing hormones for minors when it comes to with gender affirming care. It's the Weekend Review and it starts right now. As they fight this final question, is there an opportunity through this legal challenge for us to even be able to find out more about what Harvard is doing? Is that part of what could happen? And the upside here is, hey, we get to ask more questions. We get to see more behind the books. We get to see more of the propaganda that we are talking about right now.

[Ted Cruz]

That is absolutely right. And I'm going to say the facts are going to get worse and worse as they come out. Harvard doesn't want people to know the facts. So for example, there were a whole series of stories that came out about the Harvard Law Review. Now what is the Harvard Law Review The Harvard Law Review is a legal journal that's at Harvard Law school that has 80 students who are student editors. And getting on the Law Review is incredibly prestigious. It is incredibly difficult to do. Typical Harvard Law School class is about 560 people. So you have about 40 people out of 560 that make it on the class, make it on the Law Review. When I was there, I was on the Law Review. When I was there, roughly half of the editors on the Law Review made it from a combination of grades and a week long, incredibly arduous writing competition. Another roughly half made it from purely the writing competition. But when I say roughly half, at the time it was 32 were grades in writing, 32 were just writing, and then 8 were reserved for affirmative action. That's when I was there. Now, by all appearances, it has gotten much worse. It was brazen then, it was racially discriminatory then, but it is now much worse. The Harvard Law Review now uses race explicitly to, number one, select their editors. And by the way, becoming an editor at the Law Review increases your chances of getting a judicial clerkship, dramatically increases your chances of getting a Supreme Court clerkship, dramatically increases your chances of getting hired by a big prestigious law firm that pays lots of money, dramatically increases your chances of becoming a professor at a prestigious university dramatically. So the Law Review is a major gateway to elite success in the legal world. And the Harvard Law Review now in writing, they're quite open in saying that they will discriminate for editors based on race and they will also discriminate on the articles they pick. So, for example, in a 2024 memo, one journal article argued that the fact that the author was, quote, not from an underrepresented background was a negative when it came to evaluating the piece for publication. There is a, quote, holistic review committee which now selects nearly half the student editors and has made the inclusion of, quote, underrepresented groups its first priority.

[Ben Ferguson]

So to be clear, what you're saying.

[Ted Cruz]

Is violates Title 6.

[Ben Ferguson]

So to be clear, you're saying there's a chance now that if you were at Harvard, you wouldn't get picked. Is that what you're telling me?

[Ted Cruz]

You know I don't know and you don't know. So I say that what's interesting about it is you genuinely don't know. Is one of the things that they're very clever in how they discriminate because you don't know on what basis you were admitted. I had the grades to get in on grades, and I think I did well, in the writing competition, but I have no idea which of the slots I was in, because nobody does. They don't tell you. They just announced the 40 editors that have gotten in. So I don't know, but I'll tell you a story I've told before. So when I was on the Law Review, there were a number of conservative editors, and we made a run at ending affirmative action in the Law Review. And I have to admit, I sat back. We were. All 80 of us were gathered in a classroom, and we were debating this. And there were some other students that were really kind of leading the charge, some other conservatives. I agreed with them, but I also could count votes. And out of the 80 students, there were maybe eight or 10 of us that were conservatives. We were a tiny minority. So I was like, look, we ain't gonna win the vote, but all right, this is fine. Let's have the debate. So we're having the debate. And I was sitting in the back. It was fairly quiet. And I remember this one supercilious liberal stood up and said, if we eliminate affirmative action, the Harvard Law Review will be nothing but white men. And I have to admit, I was kind of a little bit checked out in the back of the room. And I heard that, and that pissed me off. And I said, you know what? You want to understand why affirmative action is so insidious? The arrogance of that imbecile just showed it. His belief as an enlightened leftist is that if merit were the only criterion, only white men would get in that. No one who is African American would get in. No one who is. Who is Hispanic.

[Ben Ferguson]

No one.

[Ted Cruz]

And let's be clear. I. I'm Hispanic. He's sitting there. And in fact, I told him, I said, all right, big guy, you want to pull your transcript out and my transcript and drop them on the table right there. Let. Let's see what pure merit produces. But there was something even more dripping in his leftist condescension, which is at the time, the Harvard affirmative action program did not include gender. So there was not affirmative action for women. And I said to all the women editors, do you hear what he just said to you? He believes if it's pure merit, no women would make it. And by the way, historically, all the women editors who are liberals voted against adding gender to affirmative action because they recognized that if it was added to it, that. That. That. That people, it would devalue what they had accomplished. But it showed the. Just the absolute arrogance of the left when it comes to embracing racism. Because at the end of the day, they look down on the poor, benighted people that will only succeed in life with their beneficence. And by the way, the price for that beneficence is for them to be loyal and obedient for the rest of their lives. I mean, that is the very explicit left wing charter that affirmative action is based on.

[Ben Ferguson]

Which brings us to another story where this stuff started on college campuses and now it's made our way into courtrooms. The Tesla arson suspect, one of them. And there's a lot of them out there. Right, but this one specifically. And we'll get to the story of, of what happened here in a second. But has been, quote, released because of gender transition would be at risk if they didn't release. So if you're going to jail, just say you're doing a gender transition and apparently then the law cannot hold you accountable for your terrorist actions.

[Ted Cruz]

So there's an individual named Owen McIntyre who was on spring break in Missouri and he firebombed two Tesla cybertrucks. He threw Molotov cocktails. He firebombed it, he got caught and he was charged, charged with domestic terrorism. And then what happened is his federal public defender argued that going to jail will disrupt his gender affirming medical care, which began in March of this year. It is likely to be interrupted or terminated entirely if he remains in pretrial detention. And the federal magistrate judge bought that argument and let him go. And let me say one of the craziest things about this story you and I, Ben spent 20 minutes trying to figure out if this defendant is male or female.

[Ben Ferguson]

By the way, he's not lying. I want to be clear about that. We literally are googling everything like, is it. Where is it a dude, is it a chick? And we don't know what it is. Like, that's the insanity of the world we live in.

[Ted Cruz]

And we can't tell. And you and I actually disagree. So I think this is a person who was born female who has decided that she is a he and wants to be a man.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

And the reason I think that. The reason I think that is we've googled it and every damn story uses he, he, he, he, he, and. And given the insane Orwellian world we live in, I, I think if ABC is referring to this person as a he and. And the person is transgender, that that to me means the person was born a she. Now your argument is, Ben, this is.

[Ben Ferguson]

A dude that grew out his hair.

[Ted Cruz]

And looks like a chicken, then why does all the media refer to this person as a he. I.

[Ben Ferguson]

Cause I think everybody's lost their damn minds. That's what I think. And I mean, the fact that we even are at the point where we have to have this discussion tells you how insane the world is.

[Ted Cruz]

You literally every story I clicked on, I googled it and clicked on story after story, and there's not one that actually describes the facts one way or the other. So. Damned if I know. But either way, look, the federal prosecutors argue this person is a domestic terrorist. They're throwing Molotov cocktails. And it is woke politics taken to the level of insanity that to get a sex change treatment is now reason to be forgiven for domestic terrorism. Although, to be fair, it's not forgiven. It's released from pretrial detention, but it is still insane.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, but it's. It's helping you, right? It's helping you not be held accountable for your actions. And it's also, I think, pretty clear that we're saying if you want to not be held accountable for your actions, just claim something that's woke. And, and these radical judges will be like, oh, we totally understand. Let's just change the rules for you because you're in our. You're in our special protected class, and we want to see you succeed in your transgenderism, which is not supposed to be the job of the court.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, I got to say this. This insanity is a big part of the reason Donald Trump won in November and we got a Republican House and a Republican Senate because I think a lot of people are looking at this and saying, this stuff is crazy.

[Ben Ferguson]

Now, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation, you can go back and listen to the full podcast from earlier this week at Ritual.

[Ritual Host]

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[Ben Ferguson]

Now on to story number two. There may be accountability coming very, very soon when it comes to issue of npr. This is something that the president's talked about a lot. Taxpayers don't like it. It's been pretty obvious that at npr, in pbs, there's a lot of our Tax dollars are going to activists and to those in the far left that want to indoctrinate people through our tax dollars. And now accountability may be coming to npr.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, that's right. So the president signed an executive order ending the tax fair subsidy of NPR and pbs, both of which receive millions from taxpayers. And they're just partisan propaganda outlets. The order reads as follows. By the authority vested me as president by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, it is hereby ordered NPR and pbs, they will be shut down from cash. And let me read some facts on npr. So NPR ran a story entitled, quote, cannibalism, it's perfectly natural, in which the author like, by the way, how am I saying this? How is this real? The author describes eating another's humans placenta. So let me read this excerpt for this is from from an NPR story. In the book, you describe getting invited over for dinner by one of your sources to eat her placenta. How was that? Was it good? Yeah, it was really the prep that made it taste good. Granted, the husband was a chef, so he knew how to prepare it Ossobuko style and used a really nice wine I had bought. It smelled great. It didn't taste bad. I wouldn't do it again. I don't have any regrets I did this. So I just want to go back to the title, NPR Cannibalism. It's perfectly natural. All right. In 2021, another story, NPR said the Declaration of Independence was a document with quote, flaws and deeply ingrained hypocrisies. Here's what they wrote. The Declaration is a document with flaws and deeply ingrained hypocrisies. It also laid the foundation for our collective aspirations, our hope for, for what America could be. So in that spirit, here again is the Declaration of Independence as read by the NPR staff. So that was 2021, where they just crapped on the Declaration of Independence and then they read it. You know what they did in 2022?

[Ben Ferguson]

What's that?

[Ted Cruz]

They said, we're not going to read the Declaration of Independence anymore. So it was a long tradition. And in 2022, they tweeted the following. This July 4th, we break with tradition. Instead of reading the Declaration of Independence, we examine what equality means and is meant in this document. Important segment about our past and future that. So the Declaration of Independence is apparently no longer allowed on NPR because apparently Hating America is NPR's mission.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yet again, your tax dollar is hard at work here. So there's going to be pushback, right? There's going to be fighting here. Ultimately, what are the chances that this sticks and that we actually say, hey, you're not getting the tax dollars for this radical agenda that you're pressing and, and trying to indoctrinate on so many people?

[Ted Cruz]

So look, I am hopeful. I want it to happen. I'm fighting for it happen. Let me give you another example. NPR issued an editor's note warning that the Declaration of Independence is, quote, a document that contains offensive language. And here, this was in 2022. Editor's note On July 8, 2022, the story quotes the U.S. declaration of Independence, a document that contains offensive language about Native Americans, including a racial slur. That was what they were saying the declaration they find offensive in the NPR Also in 2019, they apologized for calling illegal immigrants illegal and they posted, quote, sorry, that was a mistake. NPR's policy is not to characterize people as illegal. By the way, in federal law, an illegal alien is referred to as an illegal alien. That is in the United States code. But NPR says we slip up from time to time, but we'll keep working hard to get it right. They also here was another story. NPR sounded the alarm about young men who abstained from masturbating to pornography. And here was the headline of the story In NPR in 2024, masturbation abstinence is popular online. Doctors and therapists are worried, like, what the hell? Here was another story. NPR featured a Valentine's Day story around, quote, queer animals in which it suggested the make believe clownfish in Finding Nemo would have been better off as a female. And that, quote, banana slugs are hermaphrodites and that, quote, some deer are non binary. The title of the story was Manny Loves Cayenne plus five Facts about Queer Animals for Valentine's Day. Okay, These people are freaks. Queer animals for Valentine's Day. This is what they're writing. By the way, a year ago, this was 2024, Valentine's Day. They also devoted a panel to what it means to be woke and to quote, white privilege. And the title was stay Woke. This is, this is. All right, I give you another story. They routinely promote chemical and surgical mutilation of children, calling it, quote, gender affirming care without mentioning the irreversible damage caused by these procedures. And finally, in 2021, a PBS program aired a, quote, children's program. So this is what they're talking about to kids featuring a drag queen lame named Little Miss Hot Mess. And here's drag queen Little Miss Hot Mess sings the hips on the drug. Drag queen go Swish, swish, squish. To a virtual child audience on an episode of let's Learn. This is who they are, by the way. Okay, one more that I. That There are two more. There's so many, they keep piling up. NPR educated the nation on, quote, the whole community of genderqueer dinosaur enthusiasts and transceratops. So here's a quote from the story. Many people who are queer, whether they are trans or some other form of genderqueer or whatever it is, we love dinosaurs. Along with being a dinosaur expert, Riley is herself transgender. According to Riley, there is a whole community of genderqueer dinosaur enthusiasts online. We had no idea, so we checked it out. Sure enough, they're there. We found dozens of paleo artists online that identify as queer type dinosaur into the LGBT subreddit. Hundreds of results with pride dinos, rainbow dinos, dino moms, dino dads, and lots of puns like Ali Soros. And then, all right, here. Here are the last couple. Then PBS White House correspondent Yamichi Alcindor characterized President Trump's patriotic 2020 Mount Rushmore speech as a love letter to, quote, white resentment that promoted the myth of America. And then, all right, NPR suggested that art. Here's something nutty. Doorway sizes are based on, quote, latent fat phobia. They also said they assigned reporters to investigate how the thumbs up emoji is racist. They have a story. Which skin color emoji should you use? The answer can be more complex than you think. These people are idiots. They are radicals. They're zealots. Now, by the way, they're entitled to be idiots and radicals and zealots. But Ben, why should you pay for that? Why should I?

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, that's exactly the point that the President's making as well, and why there's a good chance we may actually get a big victory on this one. Don't forget, we do this show Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Hit that subscribe or auto download button on those in between days, grab my podcast, the Ben Ferguson Podcast. I'll keep you updated on the latest breaking news there as well, and the center and I will see you back here on Friday morning. As before, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation on this topic, you can go back and download the podcast from earlier this week to hear the entire thing.

[Ritual Host]

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[Ben Ferguson]

I want to get back to the big story number three of the week you may have missed. Senator, in our final segment, I want to talk about something that is shocking. This is exactly why we do the show, why we do a podcast three days a week and what you're about to hear right now. I hope that you will share it. Grab the podcast, subscribe, hit that auto download button and share the podcast wherever you are on social media. This is why we do the show, to get stories like this out to the masses. This one deals with shocking expose on Planned Parenthood. They have now been exposed for prescribing hormones to minors in an undercover investigation.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, that's right. Planned Parenthood was caught in a sting and undercover phone calls were made by the pro life activist group Live Action. And it showed that Planned Parenthood clinics across multiple states offer cross sex hormone treatments to minors as young as 17 with very little parental supervision and very little medical supervision. Uh, Live Action did an undercover investigation in which a woman posed as a 16 year old minor and she called dozens of Planned Parenthood locations seeking what she called gender affirming care. At least seven different facilities said sure they would provide cross sex hormones at the first appointment. So not after a long consultation, just immediately. First appointment, come on in. We'll give you those hormones. Several instances, Planned Parenthood told the caller she could choose to meet with the provider virtually and have access to the cross sex hormones the very same day. And this is after being told the person is a minor and that they had just begun considering trying to medically change their sex. In Minnesota and in Oregon, facilities there said they could schedule the minor within days or even on the very same day. This is what Planned Parenthood is doing. Five different facilities stated that no prior therapy, zero, no mental health clearance and no prior documentation was needed to obtain cross sex hormones. And understand these hormones can do irreparable damage to children. They can sterilize children, they can permanently harm a child. And Planned Parenthood is a multi billion dollar business that is more than happy to sterilize your child without you even knowing about it.

[Ben Ferguson]

By the way, we've got this audio and I want to play this coming from Live Action where you describe them trying to schedule this, and I want people to listen to it. And again, this is when we ask for you to help get this out. No one's covering this in the media. This is why we ask you to grab the podcast and share it so that others can hear this right now.

[Planned Parenthood Representative]

Thank you for calling Planned Parenthood. Thank you for choosing Planned Parenthood Greater New York. Thank you for calling Planned Parenthood. Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota.

[Ted Cruz]

Hello.

[Planned Parenthood Representative]

Good afternoon. Thank you for calling Planned Parenthood.

[Sophia (Caller)]

Hi, my name's Sophia. I'm just trying to schedule some gender affirming care. I really just want to be able to get some testosterone, start my journey.

[Planned Parenthood Representative]

So we just have to start by booking your initial appointment so you can come in to see one of our providers. Are you over 18?

[Sophia (Caller)]

No, I'm 16.

[Planned Parenthood Representative]

You're good to be seen here then. 16 and older.

[Sophia (Caller)]

Okay, good. You're okay to do it for minors?

[Planned Parenthood Representative]

Yes. You can legally get hormones under 18. How old are you?

[Sophia (Caller)]

16. I know my mom has to come in with me and does she have to be in there the whole time? Like, how does that work? Because I don't know if I'm comfortable with that.

[Planned Parenthood Representative]

At some point of the appointment, maybe she doesn't have have to be in the examining room with you.

[Sophia (Caller)]

You said I could do it virtually.

[Planned Parenthood Representative]

Yeah, you could do it virtually.

[Sophia (Caller)]

So what would that look like? So I just talk to a doctor and then they'd be able to prescribe me?

[Planned Parenthood Representative]

Yes. If it's virtual, you'll still meet with the doctor and then go over, like, all necessary information at the end. They will then be prescribing hormones that would then be scripted out to, like, your local pharmacy.

[Sophia (Caller)]

I don't need any, like, therapy or anything first. Like, you don't need any record of that? Not that I don't need any sort of, like, records of having gone to therapy or anything like that.

[Planned Parenthood Representative]

Right, yeah. So unless you have Tricare insurance, it would not be required.

[Sophia (Caller)]

There's nothing that I need before. Right. Like, I don't need to, like, have records and meeting with a therapist or anything. Right. Because my parents definitely aren't gonna let me do that. No, I just decided last week, and so I kind of want to get in as soon as possible. Do you have any appointments available soon?

[Planned Parenthood Representative]

Yeah, it depends on the location too, but we usually do have availability for, like, the next week of whenever you call.

[Sophia (Caller)]

You think that if I came, went over everything with the doctor and they could send the prescription that day?

[Planned Parenthood Representative]

Yes, I think they should Be able to. The provider is going to send the prescription to your pharmacy the same day of your appointment.

[Sophia (Caller)]

Oh, perfect.

[Ted Cruz]

Okay.

[Sophia (Caller)]

So I can get the hormones the same day.

[Planned Parenthood Representative]

Some pharmacies do take a little bit to get it together, but, yeah, if not the same day, then more than likely the very next day.

[Sophia (Caller)]

Perfect.

[Planned Parenthood Representative]

Thank you for calling. You have a great day.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean, you hear that, Senator? And it makes you so angry because what you're hearing is the underworld of, hey, we don't need parents.

[Ted Cruz]

We don't need parents. We don't need doctors. We don't need evidence. And by the way, the defenders of this mutilation, and then these are also the folks that defend surgeries where you're actually physically sterilizing little boys or little girls. The defenders of this, they say, oh, it's the result of a long therapy and a medical condition. It's very clear Planned Parenthood doesn't give a flip what your medical condition is. That's not their business. They're in the business of selling. They're in the business of selling abortions, which is their main business, but they're also in the business of selling sterilizing kids because, look, cross sex hormones, and that includes testosterone or estrogen given to the opposite gender. They're meant to alter the body to show characteristics of the opposite gender. And they can alter the body's natural makeup, they can alter the functions of the body, but they can also result in numerous side effects, including permanent infertility. And Lila Rose, who's the president of Live Action and a tremendous warrior standing for life, here's what Lila Rose said. She said that the investigation exposes, quote, a chilling reality that Planned Parenthood is fast tracks tracking vulnerable children into irreversible hormone treatments. With almost no medical oversight, these dangerous drugs can sterilize, stunt growth, and leave lifelong scars. This is not health care. It is child abuse, and it must be stopped.

[Ben Ferguson]

It really is incredible. The last question I have to ask you on this is after this type of information comes out, is there any role that Congress can play in getting involved now that we see this so clearly?

[Ted Cruz]

Absolutely. And every year, Planned Parenthood gets more than $700 million in federal taxpayer dollars. That needs to end. We need to defund Planned Parenthood. You shouldn't be forced to pay for the sterilization of kids. You shouldn't be forced to pay for abortions all over the country. And so I hope we will see leadership in Congress. I'm certainly fighting to defund Planned Parenthood, and I hope we get it done this year right now.

[Ben Ferguson]

As always, thank you for listening to Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. Don't forget to download my podcast and you can listen to my podcast every other day. You're not listening to Verdict or each day when you listen Verdict afterwards. I'd love to have you as a listener to again the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here on Monday morning.

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