There have been numerous reports over the years that have found that “gender affirming care” is not based in scientific fact and is harmful for those who partake in it — especially children. However, two recent factors have served to significantly increase the urgency of those calling for an end to gender transition procedures.
In May, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) files were leaked, which “revealed that the clinicians who shape how ‘gender medicine’ is regulated and practiced around the world consistently violate medical ethics and informed consent.” Additionally, a groundbreaking U.K. report, also known as the Cass Review, was published in April. Among several shocking revelations, the review emphasized the “remarkably weak evidence” for the benefits of trans procedures. The report noted, “The reality is that we have no good evidence on the long-term outcomes of interventions to manage gender-related distress.”
Considering the longstanding arguments against gender procedures, as well as the recent and shocking research concerning the matter, thousands of medical professionals have come together to “unite” their voices. A mighty force within these thousands is the American College of Pediatricians (ACP), who announced their unwavering support of the Doctors Protecting Children Declaration (DPCD), which was created to push against the gender politics infiltrating medicine.
The DPCD, which launched Thursday, was signed by Family Research Council as well as a plethora of doctors, health leaders, medical and health policy organizations, and others. “For the past decade, we’ve seen the transgender ideology capture mainstream institutions, including hospitals, medical associations, schools, and, of course, the Democratic Party and the president of the United States,” said FRC President Tony Perkins on Wednesday’s episode of “Washington Watch.” But “despite this ideological capture,” he emphasized, “there still exists many doctors and health care professionals that do follow the science,” and are committed to protecting youth.
Dr. Jill Simons, the executive director of ACP and co-signer of the declaration, is one of those professionals committed to true science, and she joined Perkins to further discuss the significance of the DPCD. “We at the American College of Pediatricians have been sounding the alarm for years about the harms that are being done to children in the name of standards of care,” she said. But “we aren’t the only ones that have been sounding the alarm. There are many other organizations … from all different spectrums of policy [that] are concerned about this.”
On behalf of ACP, Simons asserted, “[T]his needs to stop and end. … [W]e have been pushed to the sidelines and discredited and … dismissed. … Well, we’re here to say that there is no consensus about these standards of care. And, in fact, they are harmful. So, we are saying enough.” Perkins noted, in light of groups like ACP who are standing up, “it appears that the tide is turning.” He added, “[Y]ou plant a flag on truth, even when it’s not in vogue. But eventually people begin to come around, and it would appear to me that people are starting to come around because of the harms that have come from this radical ideology.” Simons agreed, stating, “It breaks my heart that my profession has been captured by this ideology.” But, she added, “there are good doctors out there that are looking out for [what] really is best” for minors.
To further prove the determination, Simons, along with several co-signers of the DPCD, gathered at National Press Club Thursday to officially launch the declaration. At the event, Simons called on multiple medical organizations “to follow the science … 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.” And in addition to Simons’ comments, each pediatrician took time to express their passion for the declaration.
Dr. Andre Van Mol, representing the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, ACP, and the American Academy of Medical Ethics, stated plainly: “Gender dysphoria is a diagnosis … transgenderism is an ideology.”
He continued, “Transition affirmation is not proven to be safe or effective long term. It does not reduce suicides. It does not repair mental health issues or trauma. Minors cannot give truly informed consent. Children have developing and immature brains. Their minds change often. They are prone to risk taking, they are vulnerable to peer pressure, and they don’t grasp long term consequences.” And as such, he contended, “Refusing to provide gender transition procedures or so-called gender affirming health care is non-discriminatory and is appropriate both professionally and scientifically.”
Quoting the philosopher, Voltaire, Dr. Carl Benzio from the American Academy of Medical Ethics and the Christian Medical and Dental Association, said, “[W]hen people believe absurdities, they will commit atrocities.” He emphasized that such “absurdities” are rooted in “gender confusion, dysphoria, dissonance, and evasion,” which are all “a manifestation of deeper psychological struggles.” For those who “desire for all children to find healing,” he said, “please join us in stopping the belief and absurd … policies and malpractice” and return to “treatment standards based on sound science, common sense, and the truth so we can protect kids from atrocities inflicted on their mind, body, and spirit.”
And when it comes to returning to “sound science,” Nicole Hayes, director of State Public Policy with the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, insisted, “This does not require courage, inasmuch as that only requires acknowledging truth and a desire to help and not harm.” Ultimately, “Medical decision making should respect biological reality and the dignity of the person by compassionately addressing the whole person,” Hayes argued. “Anything less is disastrous for patients and for the health care profession and will not promote human flourishing.”
Reflecting on the launch of the DPCD, Dr. Jennifer Bauwens, director of FRC’s Center for Family Studies, told The Washington Stand:
“FRC has been in this fight for a long time, and therefore, those who support us have also been in this fight for a very long time. …I think this should be very encouraging to everyone, because there was a time, not too long ago, where you could barely get one mental health provider and maybe a handful of doctors who would be willing to take a stand against the harms done to children. But now you have a whole group of doctors, a whole group of mental health providers and all these organizations, that are willing to put their necks on the line. I mean, this is costly.
“There are finally enough people who are saying, ‘I’m going to think more about children than I am my own credentials and my own financial future,’ and that’s very encouraging. We need that kind of boldness. We need that kind of stance in this hour. We can’t let another generation be swept up into a lie.”
