Youth Gender Medicine: Liberal Misinformation?
- For over a decade, the argument that children must be allowed to transition to prevent suicide has been a central justification for youth gender medicine.
- Johanna Olson-Kennedy of Children's Hospital los Angeles once asked parents,"Would you rather have a dead son than a live daughter?" This sentiment has been echoed in media articles,public...
- During Supreme Court oral arguments,ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio admitted there is no evidence that medical transition reduces adolescent suicide rates.
Recent claims linking youth gender medicine to suicide prevention face scrutiny. This article dives into a critical analysis, revealing that the central argument for medical transition in adolescents lacks solid evidence. Leading experts concede there’s no proof that transitioning reduces teen suicide rates-a core tenet of the movement. The piece uncovers “zombie facts,” media bias, and political influence within the field of pediatric gender medicine. You’ll find insights into clinical practices and the impact of the “Dutch protocol.” This details is brought to you by News directory 3. Discover what’s next for this importent health debate.
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The Myth of Transition or Suicide
Johanna Olson-Kennedy of Children’s Hospital los Angeles once asked parents,”Would you rather have a dead son than a live daughter?” This sentiment has been echoed in media articles,public statements by activists,and LGBTQ groups. The Biden governance’s solicitor general, Elizabeth Prelogar, argued before the Supreme Court that Tennessee’s ban on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors would “increase the risk of suicide.”
However, this argument is flawed. During Supreme Court oral arguments,ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio admitted there is no evidence that medical transition reduces adolescent suicide rates.
Strangio initially claimed that blockers and hormones reduce “depression, anxiety, and suicidality,” but even that is debatable. When Justice Samuel Alito referenced a systematic review from the Cass report in England, Strangio conceded that studies do not show the treatment reduces completed suicide, due to the rarity of completed suicides within the studied population.
This admission from a leading trans-rights advocate revealed that the strongest argument for a debated treatment lacks evidentiary support.
Even after this admission, Justice Sonia Sotomayor claimed in her dissent that “access to care can be a question of life or death.” While this may be true of therapeutic support, it is not supported by research regarding medical transition specifically.
Advocates of open science often discuss “zombie facts”-claims that persist despite being discredited. Many political claims defending puberty blockers and hormones for gender-dysphoric minors fit this definition. These claims have been contradicted by both conservatives and advocates of the treatment, though many liberals remain unaware due to media bubbles.
The unwillingness to debate youth transition is common among its advocates. Strangio once expressed a desire to stop the circulation of Abigail Shrier’s book, Irreversible Damage, which is critical of youth gender medicine. Marci Bowers, former head of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), has compared skepticism of child gender medicine to Holocaust denial, stating, ”There are not two sides to this issue.”
This unwillingness to listen to opposing views left Strangio vulnerable before the Supreme Court, where conservative justices questioned the evidence supporting hormones and blockers.
Trans-rights activists accuse skeptics of youth gender medicine of fomenting a “moral panic.” However, the movement has told gender-nonconforming children that restricting access to puberty blockers and hormones is akin to trying to kill them. This claim is false and irresponsible.
After England restricted puberty blockers in 2020, an expert psychologist, Louis Appleby, investigated weather the suicide rate for patients at the contry’s youth gender clinic rose. He found no increase in suicides, despite claims made online. Appleby reported that the discussion on social media was insensitive, distressing, and dangerous, possibly terrifying young people and their families with predictions of unavoidable suicide without puberty blockers.
Liberals often claim that children undergo extensive assessments before receiving blockers or hormones. However, many American clinics prescribe blockers on a first visit, despite official standards recommending thorough assessment.
some practitioners view long evaluations as unnecessary. Olson-Kennedy told The Atlantic in 2018 that she doesn’t send someone to a therapist when starting them on insulin. Her research shows she has referred girls as young as 13 for double mastectomies, and she has stated that adolescents can make reasoned decisions, adding that if they want breasts later, they can get them.
The belief that American standards of care are strongly evidence-based is also misinformation. The evidence surrounding medical transition for adolescents is weak and inconclusive. while major American medical associations support the Dutch protocol, consensus is not the same as evidence, and that consensus is politically influenced.
Rachel Levine, President Biden’s assistant secretary for health and human services, lobbied to remove age minimums for most surgeries from WPATH’s standards of care. This was a political decision, as Levine believed that listing specific limits under age 18 would give opponents of youth transition targets to exploit.
A court case in alabama revealed that WPATH members had doubts about their own guidelines. In 2023,Eli Coleman,who chaired the team revising the standards of care,wrote to his colleagues that they were “painfully aware that there are many gaps in research to back up our recommendations,” yet the institution did not make this clear in public. Laura Edwards-Leeper, who helped bring the Dutch protocol to the U.S., has criticized it, stating that the field has moved too fast.
What’s next
The debate surrounding youth gender medicine is likely to continue, with increasing scrutiny of the evidence base and the long-term effects of medical interventions. Further research and open discussion are needed to ensure the best possible care for gender-dysphoric youth.
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