Gender-affirming care for minors is in the global spotlight
Image: DAP Health
On Friday, the UK indefinitely banned the prescription of puberty-suppressing treatments for minors with gender dysphoria (save for clinical trials), becoming the latest country to restrict access to treatments for transgender youth.
- In announcing the decision, officials say it came in response to advice from independent UK medical experts, who concluded there’s currently an “unacceptable safety risk” in prescribing puberty blockers to children. Researchers also expressed concern over a lack of data on the long-term effects of gender-affirming treatment for minors.
- Meanwhile, groups who support protecting access say research has consistently shown gender-affirming healthcare leads to improved mental health outcomes for minors, while denying such care is linked to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm or suicide.
How they work: As the name suggests, puberty blockers are medicines that block the hormones leading to puberty-related changes in the body. They’re typically used for children who show signs of puberty several years ahead of schedule – but can also be offered to gender-questioning adolescents on the cusp of normal puberty, with the goal of giving them time to consider their identity.
The UK is one of several nations to restrict gender-affirming treatments for minors. Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and France have also strictly limited the use of puberty blockers for children under 18 in recent years, though they’re among the minority of EU countries with such policies.
- In the US, the Supreme Court heard arguments last week over the legality of Tennessee’s recent ban on gender-affirming procedures for minors, with a decision expected by next summer.
- Just over half of all US states (26) have passed similar legislation in recent years.
Zoom in: ~1.4% of the US population between the ages of 13 and 17 identifies as transgender, including ~110,000 minors living in the 26 states that currently restrict gender-affirming care.
📊 Flash poll: In your opinion, should minors be banned from accessing puberty blockers and other gender-affirming treatments?
See a 360° view of what pundits are saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that those who oppose gender-affirming care for minors are mistaken for going against a medical treatment approved by the FDA and supported by every leading medical organization.
- Others contend that US lawmakers should strive to keep health care decisions about young transgender people’s care between them, their parents, and their doctors, rather than outside parties.
- “Supreme Court appears ready to discriminate against trans youth by denying them care" –Erwin Chemerinsky, Sacramento Bee
- “More states must pass shield laws protecting gender-affirming care” –Kimberly Atkins Stohr, Boston Globe
- “The Power Struggle Behind Trans Youth Health Care” –M. Gessen and Lydia Polgreen, NY Times
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that stories from people who transitioned as youths but later regretted it should act as warning signs against allowing minors to have access to gender-affirming treatments.
- Others contend that recent research reveals gender-affirming treatments like hormones and surgeries don’t bring wholeness and happiness to patients, and thus minors should be banned from accessing them.
- “The Trans Double-Mastectomy Lawsuit” –WSJ Editorial Board
- “The real way to protect ‘trans kids’” –Kimberly Ross, Washington Examiner
- “Transgender delusion needs to end” –Robert Knight, Washington Times
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