The ‘vast majority of children’ receiving care shouldn’t be treated with hormones or surgery, says the American Academy of Pediatrics.
We are thrilled that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) agrees that the “vast majority of children” who get “gender-affirming care” shouldn’t be treated with hormones and surgery, and in fact, need “the opposite” (Letters, Aug. 22). Today, however, when pediatricians refer gender dysphoric minors to gender clinics for assessment, they are effectively sending them to be medically transitioned.
A recent study from Seattle Children’s Hospital shows that within 12 months of the initial consult, 66% of adolescents had already been put on “gender-affirming” hormonal interventions. This likely understates the problem: Several states, including California, have passed laws that effectively ban psychotherapy designed to help youth feel comfortable in their bodies, calling it “conversion therapy.”
Continue reading the entire piece here at The Wall Street Journal (paywall)
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Leor Sapir is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
Dr. Julie Mason is a pediatrician.
This piece originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal