A woman denounces the University of Nebraska Medical Center for removing both breasts at age 16 to become a man

Luka Hein, who regrets having undergone the operation, criticizes that the doctors took advantage of her confused mental state at that time to deceive her with false guarantees.

Published by

Israel Duro

15 de septiembre, 2023

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Luka Hein, a woman who regretted undergoing a sex-change process that included a double mastectomy when she was 16, sued the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) for manipulating her into undergoing the procedure. Hein, represented by the Center for American Liberty, says in the brief that her treatment "robbed" her "femininity."

Hein was sexually harassed online by an older man

In the complaint, Hein explains that the doctors pressured her to undergo the surgery after only two consultations and took advantage of the confusion of the then minor due to her difficult childhood, which included psychological disorders and confusion. Hein was also was groomed and preyed upon by an older man online by when she was 15 who tricked her into sending sexually explicit photos of herself. When she refused to send him more, the man then started to threaten her. The teenager, terrified, reported the incident to the police. What happened, coupled with the harsh investigation by law enforcement agencies, further damaged the mental health of the minor, who had to be admitted to the psychiatric partial intensive care program and put on medication.

"She wondered if it would be better not to have breasts"

With her mental health so resentful, Hein began to think that her problems would be fixed if she removed her breasts and became a boy. "Luka wondered whether it would be best to have no breasts at all. She started researching matters of sexuality online and found transgender influencers who extolled the virtues of hormones and surgery. She ordered a chest binder, transferred from an all-girls school, and changed her name. She began identifying as male and advised her mental health providers, and her parents, that she was transgender. Due to what she had learned online, she believed “top surgery,” in other words, having her breasts surgically removed, would ease her mental distress." They went to a therapist, Megan Smith-Sallan, who referred them to UNMC, with whom she collaborated.

I was going through the darkest and most chaotic time of my life, and instead of giving me the help I needed, these doctors turned that chaos into reality. They convinced me to undergo a medical intervention that I didn't understand the long-term consequences.

False guarantees

In a statement, the Center of America Liberty accuses the therapist and the rest of the doctors who participated in Luka's process, of deceiving the family, with false guarantees and without informing them of the long term side effects and risks.

UNMC doctors deceived Luka and her parents with false promises, claiming that if Luka did not undergo the removal of her breasts, she would take her own life, despite medical evidence to the contrary. The UNMC also concealed scientific studies that do not support surgical "transitions" in minors, including studies showing that transgender surgeries increase suicidality and psychiatric morbidity.

"Luka is now a medical orphan"

According to the complaint, "Due to the Defendants’ actions, Luka is now a medical orphan. Having been subjected to irreversible surgery and a four-year cascade of testosterone, doctors simply have no idea now how to help her. Having broken her, Defendants have no idea how to fix her." Therefore, the plaintiff "claims the following damages":

a. Physical pain and mental suffering, past and future;

b. Medical expenses, past and future;

c. Permanent deterioration of their earning capacity;

d. Inconvenience and loss of enjoyment of life; and

e. Permanent scarring, injury and disability.