(Capital Territory, Australia) — The mother of a girl who tried to become a boy told me that the doctor said to her when she opposed the treatment, ‘Would you rather a dead daughter or a live son?’
Parents across Australia have been told the same thing when sharing their concerns regarding their child’s desired gender treatment. They have been manipulated into believing that they have no real choice.
But that narrative is finally being challenged.
A major study out of Finland followed more than 2,000 adolescents referred for gender-related issues, many of whom were already struggling with significant mental health difficulties long before entering this system.
What it shows confirms what we knew to be the base.
Mental health outcomes did not improve following medical interventions. In some cases, they worsened over time, including among those who went on to receive hormonal treatments.
This stands in direct contradiction to the repeated claim that such interventions are ‘life-saving.’
These findings are consistent with concerns raised in the UK by Hillary Cass, who highlighted weak evidence, limited long-term data, and a model of care that has moved far ahead of what the science can support.
At some point, this has to be stated plainly.
Children cannot change their sex. And medicalising that belief does not resolve the underlying issues that lead to distress in the first place.
Young people who are struggling deserve compassion and support. But that support must be grounded in reality and evidence, not in affirming ideas that cannot be medically or biologically realised.
In no other area of medicine would we accept this approach.
We would not allow a child to self-diagnose and then proceed directly to irreversible treatment. We would expect careful assessment, professional judgement, and a focus on addressing the root causes of their distress.
Why should this be any different?
These decisions carry serious consequences. Hormonal interventions can affect fertility, physical development, and long-term health. Once a child is placed on this path, it can be extremely difficult—sometimes impossible—to reverse course.
Yet many parents have been made to feel that asking questions, taking time, or seeking alternative approaches is somehow harmful.
It is not.
What is harmful is rushing children into medical treatments that do not clearly improve outcomes, while failing to properly address underlying mental health challenges.
