A Wall Street Journal report says the American Academy of Pediatrics plans to review the evidence for irreversible, experimental care for transgender children and may change its policy on the issue.
The review will reportedly include an assessment of care such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Children who identify as “transgender” and believe that their biological sex is not consistent with their “gender identity” may receive this type of care, in addition to irreversible sex reassignment surgery (via “Wall Street” daily):
This process, known as a systematic evidence review, typically examines all the relevant evidence behind a given treatment, correcting it for bias and other potential flaws. As reported by AAP, it will be conducted by an external organization.
According to AAP, its goal will be to confirm best practices in the treatment of transgender youth, teenagers and adolescent adults. On Thursday afternoon, the association’s board of directors approved the external review, voting at its Chicago-area headquarters.
The vote comes after many Republican-controlled states have implemented bans or other restrictions on gender-affirming care, saying science does not support medical interventions. The systematic review “reflects the fact that management is very concerned about the restrictions,” AAP chief executive Mark Del Monte said.
In 2018, the AAP released a policy statement supporting the utilize of gender-affirming care. The older policy was due for a mandatory five-year review later this year. The board voted to reaffirm the policy, but officials said it could be changed after review.
The stakes are potentially significant, and the review comes as the country’s doctors face intense and growing challenges control over the treatment of gender-differentiated youth. The AAP is one of many medical associations whose guidelines for such treatments are cited in everything from lawsuits to insurance claims to media reports about whether medical interventions are appropriate for children.
Do No Harm, an organization working to protect health care from radical ideology, commented on AAP’s decision.
“By reaffirming its support for so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ for minors, the American Academy of Pediatrics continues to condone harm to children who deserve so much better,” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, board chairman. “We are, however, I am pleased that they are recognizing the reality that current scientific evidence raises serious doubts about the safety and effectiveness of pediatric gender medicine by commissioning a systematic review of current medical research… We also encourage other societies, such as the Endocrine Society, to commission such alone.”
New York Times noted that APP’s position has not changed since 2018. However, in several European countries, providers have retreated from their stance on providing “gender-affirming care” to children due to a lack of evidence that it helps adolescents. This includes England and Sweden, which Townhall has included. And Finland’s leading gender equality expert said in a recent interview that “four out of five” children who believe they are transgender will grow out of it by their mid-teens.
According to the left-wing organization, “To date, about 20 states in the US have banned this type of care for minors.” Human Rights Campaign. This includes Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arizona and more.
Last month, Townhall described how Ohio GOP Sen. J.D. Vance announced he would introduce federal legislation to protect children from transgender care. The law makes it a Class C felony for any person who knowingly provides hormone therapy, puberty-blocking drugs, or irreversible gender reassignment surgery to a minor. This would result in a prison sentence of 10 to 25 years and a fine of up to $250,000. Additionally, higher education institutions have been banned from teaching this type of “health care.”
“Under no circumstances should doctors be allowed to perform these gruesome, irreversible surgeries on minor children,” Vance told The Daily Caller. “With this legislation, we have a chance to save countless young Americans from a lifetime of suffering and regret.”
