The American College of Pediatricians (ACP) has had enough with major medical associations in the United States pushing gender transition on children.
The doctors, health policy groups and conservative organizations teamed up in an alliance called “Doctors Protecting Children” and urged mainstream medical associations to end their support of “gender-affirming care” for young trans people.
“As physicians, together with nurses, psychotherapists and behavioral health clinicians, other health professionals, scientists, researchers and public health and policy professionals, we have serious concerns about the physical and mental-health effects of the current protocols promoted for the care of children and adolescents in the United States who express discomfort with their biological sex,” the group declared in a statement.
They noted that what is currently being accepted as treatments for gender dysphoria is actually harmful for patients and argue that medical decisions “should not be based upon an individual’s thoughts and feelings,” including their self-professed “gender identity.”
“We have serious concerns about the physical and mental-health effects of the current protocols promoted for the care of children and adolescents in the United States who express discomfort with their biological sex,” Dr. Jill Simons, pediatrician and executive director of the ACP, said in one of many statements given by members of the group.
“This declaration was authored by the American College of Pediatricians but really it was developed from the expertise of hundreds of doctors, researchers and other health-care workers and leaders who for years have been sounding the alarm on the harmful protocols that continue to be promoted by the medical organizations in the United States.”
She proceeded to call out six of the major medical associations: The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society, the Pediatric Endocrine Society, the American Medical Association, the Medical Psychological Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
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Simons then pushed for them to “follow the science” and many of their European counterparts and “immediately stop the promotion of social affirmation, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries for children and adolescents who experience distress over their biological sex.”
The coalition argued that research shows a lack of evidence that social transition in childhood has any positive or negative mental-health outcomes and that puberty blockers succeed in suppressing secondary sex characteristics, but demonstrate “no changes in gender dysphoria or body satisfaction.”
They also said there is insufficient research on the long-term effects of cross-sex hormone therapies to determine if they are beneficial or harmful.
“Psychotherapy for underlying mental-health issues such as depression, anxiety and autism, as well as prior emotional trauma or abuse, should be the first line of treatment for these vulnerable children experiencing discomfort with their biological sex,” the group said.
The declaration cites various studies to support its claims and Simons encouraged that the organizations “adhere to the evidence-based research now available.”
She also suggested that the organizations “recommend comprehensive evaluations and therapies aimed at identifying and addressing underlying psychological co-morbidities and neurodiversity that often predispose to and accompany gender dysphoria.”