CNA Staff, Feb 20, 2025 /
13:05 pm
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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Kate Quiñones is a staff writer for Catholic News Agency and a fellow of the College Fix. She has been published by the Wall Street Journal, the Denver Catholic Register, and CatholicVote, and she graduated from Hillsdale College. She lives in Colorado with her husband.
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