this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2023

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America Should Join UK In Banning Chemical Castration For Kids (thefederalist.com)

submitted 2 years ago by ArtemZ to c/conservative

19 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from: https://exploding-heads.com/post/94477

cross-posted from: https://exploding-heads.com/post/94475

The decision to halt the universal prescription of life-altering drugs is long overdue considering there was never any evidence that permanently manipulating a child’s body would remedy his or her mental struggles.

In recent years, pharmaceutical companies and bureaucracies began marketing a sterilizing chemical regime as a way to “pause” puberty for the growing number of kids who claim to struggle with gender dysphoria.

On the contrary, the increasing body of evidence shows that pumping kids full of neutering drugs causes irreversible harm, including sexual dysfunction and permanent infertility, a higher risk of cancer and cardiac events, impaired vocal cords, bone density issues, and transition regret.

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[–] shemmy -5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

If a child is under any psychological distress, permanent physical modifications shouldn't be an option: the distress is psychological, not physical. Psychological distress should be addressed by a psychologist, maybe a psychiatrist, not a surgeon. Personally, I believe that care should include helping the child to be comfortable with themselves in their own body, as that will help not only in the case of the child's current gender dysphoria, but also later on in adult life when reality really hits you.

[–] S_Roman 9 points 2 years ago (2 children)

If a child is under any psychological distress, permanent physical modifications shouldn’t be an option

https://www.childrenshospital.org/programs/center-gender-surgery-program/eligibility-surgery

It isn't

[–] moon_unit -5 points 1 year ago

Blocking hormones and then replacing hormones isn't physical modification? Or chopping off body parts at 15 yro? In what world is that not physical modification?

[+] shemmy -8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

They are just one hospital, and they still do chest surgeries on children 15 years or older.

[–] S_Roman 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Only after the following, reasonable requirements:

A letter from a medical doctor or nurse practitioner stating that you have “persistent, well documented, gender dysphoria” and specifying either the length of hormone therapy or why you are not taking hormone therapy.

A letter from a mental health provider stating that you have the capacity to consent and that any significant mental health issues are being addressed

Informed consent is the very basis for modern medical decisions. This is a reasonable standard to avoid harm. And this isn't an overnight thing that you can just get approval for, it takes years to get to this point.

[+] shemmy -6 points 2 years ago (2 children)

They definitely are doing it responsibly; I just don't agree with it. I'm generally against any form of plastic surgery or body modification. Teenagers can also be hormonal, stupid, heavily influenced by others, and rebellious. With current cultural norms, at least in the US, I wouldn't trust any child to make an adequately informed decision, especially without heavy influence from politically active parents. I work with children, and know multiple prepubescent boys and girls who talk about being the opposite sex or about being some other form of LGBTQIA+ when they haven't even developed sexual attraction yet. That's another conversation though, lol.

[–] S_Roman 7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

I wouldn’t trust any child to make an adequately informed decision

There are children who spend years of their childhood socially transitioned in some way or another. If they've done so, (which is more or less what the medical requirements are), and still after years are ok with their choice to have socially transitioned, and couple that with medical professionals being responsible, I don't see how there is an issue.

I also suspect the top surgery is more meant for people who are born inter sex, because I know if I was born inter sex, and identified as a man, I would not want to keep having man titties.

who talk about being the opposite sex or about being some other form of LGBTQIA+ when they haven’t even developed sexual attraction yet.

Gender and sexual attraction are two different things. You don't need to have any sexual attraction to have a gender identity. For instance, an ex of mine was ace, but she was still a woman. And gender identity starts forming as early as age 2:

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/Pages/Gender-Identity-and-Gender-Confusion-In-Children.aspx

Here is a good starting resource that can help break down the differences in these definitions:

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/02/996319297/gender-identity-pronouns-expression-guide-lgbtq

[–] moon_unit -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What about this study? Read the abstract, its short. It's a nih.gov website...

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35758886/

64 downvotes??? When there's like no votes at all for the comments. I read thru your links too and they are not convincing. Just you here pushing this agenda. How in the world can children consent to having their puberty blocked??? THEY ARE CHILDREN. There is a reason why children are called children. Let them make that decision at 18. Is that really so unreasonable?

[–] minnow 3 points 1 year ago

What about this study?

Read up on the author. https://www.cmf.org.uk/resources/publications/authors/?id=294

The guy is clearly biased and immediately disqualifies himself by writing books about why evolution isn't real and why the brain must have a soul. He's no scientist, he's a religious fanatic pushing his own radical agenda. And if that's not enough for you, the linked study has factual inaccuracies in the abstract, such as whether puberty blockers have a positive impact on dysphoria. The fact is that statement misleads by suggesting that puberty blockers are intended to alleviate gender dysphoria, when the reality is that they're meant to prevent it from getting worse while other treatments (mostly social in nature, but also therapy and psychological evaluation) are meant to alleviate dysphoria and provide time for the patient to consider if those treatments are working or not, which informs the decision to continue on that treatment path.

No reasonable person is suggesting that children can make these decisions on their own. They're making the decisions with the aid of family and a whole team of medical and mental health professionals over the course of years and years. Nobody wants a kid to transition if they're not actually trans, because studies have shown that actually makes dysphoria worse.

The bottom line is that preventing a child from accessing that assistance is going to make them less able to make a healthy decision at the age of 18 than they otherwise would, with the aide of professionals, at the age of 15.

[–] moon_unit -3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What is all this talk of there being more than two genders? Guess what... it's pretty simple. There's two physical genders Male and Female. One can have tendencies towards one side or the other but that doesn't meant there is more than two. turn the page now. lol

[–] S_Roman 2 points 1 year ago

You've confused gender for sex, which are two different things. Sex is assigned at birth, whereas gender is performative. You behave, think, dress, etc your gender.

[+] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

[deleted]

[–] shemmy -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I believe this is a great example of a “straw man argument”. A false and easy to knock down claim is made and said to represent your opponent, then it’s knocked it down and said, “see how weak your position is?”.

What was my false claim? That those identifying as trans are going through psychological stress because they’re uncomfortable with their bodies? If someone identifies as trans and it isn’t because they aren’t comfortable with the body they were born with and truly believe they belong to the opposite sex, I’m pretty sure that’s just cross-dressing. If the trans community truly wants acceptance and support, they need to distance themselves from those who are just “trans” for a kink or internet and social points.

Minors are almost never offered permanent physical modification …

Almost never isn’t never. It should be never.

That’s the whole point of puberty blockers, they delay potentially horrifying changes to allow a few more years to for such a major life decision.

That’s propaganda. Do you seriously believe stopping a normal biological process has no lasting effects? Even if it was true that a biological process could simply be paused, if a child is uncomfortable with their current body, would “pausing” it in that state not further make them hate themselves? Sounds like abuse to me.

I didn’t become trans because a drag queen read me a book or trans lady made a bud light video, that’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard.

I don’t think anyone ever has. Also, who’s straw-manning now?

Besides all that, my comment was that if you’re having psychological stress, seek psychological help, not surgical. I don’t see how that’s controversial.