The governor of Tennessee has formally called for an investigation into Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) over the clinic’s role in performing “gender-transitioning” surgeries that mutilate the genitals of minors and leave them permanently scarred.

According to the Daily Caller, Casey Sellers, a spokeswoman for Governor Bill Lee (R-Tenn.), said that Lee’s office has “shared concerns with the Attorney General” over the clinic’s conduct. Although the governor has since asked the attorney general to commence an investigation into any possible ethical or legal violations by the VUMC, no official probe has yet been launched.

“The ‘pediatric transgender clinic’ at Vanderbilt University Medical Center raises serious moral, ethical and legal concerns,” said Lee in a statement. “We should not allow permanent, life-altering decisions that hurt children or policies that suppress religious liberties, all for the purpose of financial gain. We have to protect Tennessee children, and this warrants a thorough investigation.”