195. The Medical Mafia: How the AMA Manufactures Consensus on Gender Care with Dr. Travis Morrell

Dr. Travis Morrell, chair of Colorado Principled Physicians and a senior fellow at Do No Harm Medicine, joins me to pull back the curtain on what he calls the "medical mafia"—the intricate web of organizations led by the American Medical Association that manufactures the illusion of consensus on controversial medical practices, particularly pediatric sex trait modification.

We explore how the AMA maintains its power despite only 15% of American doctors being members. The answer lies in a government-mandated monopoly: the AMA holds the copyright on CPT codes—the procedural codes every healthcare provider in the country must use to bill insurance and Medicare. This generates hundreds of millions in revenue annually, which the AMA then uses to lobby politicians, influence other medical organizations, and train activists within specialty societies to align with their positions.

Travis explains how this money flows into shadow organizations like Race Forward to push diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that ultimately tie back to gender ideology in medicine. We discuss the physical harms of cross-sex hormones on women—including vaginal atrophy, pelvic floor dysfunction, and incontinence affecting over 95% of female patients on testosterone—and why Travis compares these effects to female genital mutilation. We also discuss what everyday people and physicians can do to push back against this institutional capture, and why speaking up—even privately—is a moral duty.

Travis Morrell, MD, MPH, is a dad, husband, and physician. A lifelong learner to a fault, his postgraduate medical training in five specialty departments and medical leadership gives him a broad perspective of his profession. He is published in the top journals of multiple fields and in popular media. Dr. Morrell is a Senior Fellow at Do No Harm Medicine. He is Chair of Colorado Principled Physicians, a grassroots organization of physicians promoting evidence-based medicine and classical liberal values.
The X thread mentioned
X: @MorrellMDmph
Protect Kids Colorado
Colorado Principled Physicians
Stop the Harm Database

[00:00:00] Start
[00:00:46] Introducing Dr. Travis Morrell
[00:09:30] The AMA's $450 Million Empire and CPT Code Monopoly
[00:17:34] How the AMA Controls Other Medical Organizations
[00:30:53] Who's Driving the Gender Ideology Agenda
[00:44:35] Cross-Sex Hormones as Female Genital Mutilation
[00:49:06] Physical Harms of Testosterone on Women
[01:07:01] What Doctors and Patients Can Do
[01:10:51] Why Doctors Alone Won't Save the Day
[01:17:43] Compassion for Affected Kids and Families
[01:18:47] Where to Find Dr. Travis Morrell

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Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.

Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.

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