Normalising gender dysphoria 'dangerous', says American College of Paediatricians

The American College of Paediatricians (ACPeds) has issued a statement calling for an end to the normalisation of gender dysphoria, which is leading to young and confused children being experimented on and even sterilised. 

The College states that according to research, 80% of gender dysphoria cases in children resolve themselves by late adolescence. It argues therefore that the push to normalise medical intervention can cause permanent harm, violating "the long-standing medical ethics principle of 'First do no harm.'"

Dr. Michelle Cretella, President of the College, states that those who possess the courage to speak out against this "criminal" harm done to children are "chastised". 
 

The ACPeds is based on family values

The ACPeds states on its website that it is "a national organisation of paediatricians and other healthcare professionals dedicated to the health and well-being of children."

"Formed in 2002, the College is committed to fulfilling its mission by producing sound policy, based upon the best available research, to assist parents and to influence society in the endeavour of childrearing…The College currently has members in 47 states, and several countries outside of the US."

The ACPeds' mission statement affirms its commitment to promoting a healthy family unit: "We recognize the basic father-mother family unit, within the context of marriage, to be the optimal setting for childhood development, but pledge our support to all children, regardless of their circumstances."
 

'Social agendas often bias the results of research'

The College’s statement on gender dysphoria is backed by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, the Christian Medical Association, and the Catholic Medical Association. In total the groups represent over 20,000 physicians and health professionals.

The statement provides compelling arguments for the causes of gender dysphoria and the risks posed by intrusive medical intervention, criticising the prevalence of these treatments despite lack of scientific and medical evidence.

Dr. Michelle Cretella says: "We live at a time in which social agendas often bias the results of research and lead to the development of false medical standards. Those who honorably speak out against this are chastised. Young children are being permanently sterilized and surgically maimed under the guise of treating a condition that would otherwise resolve in over 80% of them.This is criminal."
 

Underlying psychological problem

The statement points to the damage that would be done, if other cases where the individual’s mental and physical states are incongruent treated the same way as gender dysphoria. 

"Consider the following examples: a girl with anorexia nervosa has the persistent mistaken belief that she is obese; a person with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) harbours the erroneous conviction that she is ugly; a person with body integrity identity disorder (BIID) identifies as a disabled person and feels trapped in a fully functional body."

It goes on:

"The aforementioned false beliefs, like GD, are not merely emotionally distressing for the individuals but also life-threatening. In each case, surgery to 'affirm' the false assumption (liposuction for anorexia, cosmetic surgery for BDD, amputation or surgically induced paraplegia for BIID, sex reassignment surgery for GD) may very well alleviate the patient’s emotional distress, but will do nothing to address the underlying psychological problem, and may result in the patient’s death.
 

'Align with physical reality'

"A person’s belief that he is something or someone he is not is, at best, a sign of confused thinking; at worst, it is a delusion. Just because a person thinks or feels something does not make it so. This would be true even if abnormal thoughts were biologically 'hardwired.'"

"The norm for human development is for an individual’s thoughts to align with physical reality; for an individual’s gender identity to align with biologic sex. People who identify as 'feeling like the opposite sex' or 'somewhere in between' or some other category do not comprise a third sex. They remain biological men or biological women."
 

'Significant ethical problem'

The statement lists health risks relating to the administration of cross-sex hormones to pre-pubescent children, and warns of its irreversible effects. 

It also highlights that the adolescent brain "does not achieve the capacity for full risk assessment until the early to mid-twenties. There is a significant ethical problem with allowing minors to receive life-altering medical interventions including cross-sex hormones and, in the case of natal girls, bilateral mastectomy, when they are incapable of providing informed consent for themselves."
 

Therapists unable to explore root causes

Other chief concerns lie in the increasing normalisation of identifying as transgender, as perpetuated by social media, and the difficulties in challenging this.

"Therapists are not allowed to ask why an adolescent believes he or she is transgender; may not explore underlying mental health issues; cannot consider the symbolic nature of the gender dysphoria; and may not look at possible confounding issues such as social media use or social contagion."
 

Related news:
Gender dysphoria in children (ACPeds)
Normalising gender dysphoria is dangerous and unethical (ACPeds)
Huge rise in child 'transgender' referrals