Thoughts on states banning gender-affirming care for trans youth

https://www.axios.com/2023/02/28/mississippi-trans-youth-health-care

This is such a touchy subject, but it needs to be sorted out in a way that doesn't push children into making irreversible decisions which they might later regret.

Children are easily influenced by adults. Children often do things because they want to be 'cool' or 'trendy'. Children have vivid imaginations. Children do peculiar things. Most of this kind of stuff is just kids going through phases, and shouldn't be viewed as if it were some kind of crisis. When I was 11, for some strange reason, I envied left handed kids. Since I was ambidextrous, I mean, I can write cursive with both hands, and I can literally write backwards with my left hand, while writing forwards with my right, and do it simultaneously. I once did this in my 4th grade class on the chalkboard in front of the class, to the amazement of my classmates and the teacher was really impressed. But, when I was in the 6th grade, I thought it would be cool to make everyone think I was a left handed person. No one really cared, it got me no attention in particular and, after a while, I just forgot about it and gradually switched to being right handed. It was just a phase, you know, kids do that.

I'm concerned that some children, given all the publicity of 'trans kids', that some might be envious of all the attention they are getting, and might be wanting to be trans, just for the attention, in a similar fashion that I wanted to be left handed when I was 11. Kids do all sorts of crazy things, they are children, they have powerful imaginations.

Now, some of them might really be legitimate cases, but I'm concerned that some over zealous adults, too 'woke' for my blood, might push children into making decisions that they shouldn't be doing. I mean, this never happened when I was in school in the 50s and 60s, there were no transgendered kids not even when I went to college im my 30s back in the early 80s, nor had I ever heard of them until the last decade are so, and it's occurring with greater frequency every year, and Bill Maher made a very compelling point, or rather, points, and I must concur with his point of view, (aside from the humor).

While I disagree with the Mississippi law, I think we should consider Bill Maher's message, and not be too quick to acquiesce to the temporal phases of children. Now, I"m not saying that medical community is being over zealous, but the charts tell us a peculiar fact that it's growing exponentially, but in the more liberal regions, and if it were a biological thing, that wouldn't be true. Maher points out this glaring discrepancy, Maher said (paraphrased) "Either places like Ohio are suppressing them or places like California are creating them".

Perhaps the truth is somewhere in the middle, I don't know, but I think we should commence to have this conversation and find a policy that doesn't dictate to doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors what they should do with regard their patients, but with some strong guidelines and with some exceptions, such as, but consider things like puberty blockers with great caution, and I'm positively against sex change surgery before the age of 18. We should go out of our way to make sure the child is not going through a phase, as children tend to do, and allow enough time to pass to make sure it's a real condition, etc.

Here is Maher (link below) discussing the subject, see what you think: Above is the link to the Mississippi ban (and other states I think are making similar laws). "Maybe some of the kids are just gay".Maher said. My view is that if a gay child wants to be a girl, to try to convince the child that it's perfectly okay to be an effeminate male. In my view, that's what the child (person, whatever) actually is. My view is that gender and sex are the same, and I don't buy the rather recent development in woke psychology that they are different. But, that's just my opinion. Still, adults are free to do as they wish, but we should take great care not to make health damaging decisions (puberty blockers affect bone density, things of this nature) and irreversible decisions ( sex change surgery for children.



I researched puberty blockers in children: Apparently there is currently limited research on the long-term effects of puberty blockers on bone density in children. However, some studies suggest that the use of puberty blockers may lead to a reduction in bone mineral density in both males and females. This reduction in bone mineral density could potentially increase the risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis later in life.

Other health concerns associated with the use of puberty blockers may include possible impacts on brain development, cognitive function, fertility, and sexual function. However, much of the evidence on these potential health concerns is based on animal studies and clinical trials are needed to better understand the effects of puberty blockers on human health.

Here are some studies that have explored the potential impacts of puberty blockers on bone density and other health concerns:

1. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism in 2018 found that adolescents with gender dysphoria who were treated with puberty blockers had lower bone mineral density than control groups, indicating a potential negative effect on bone health. The study can be accessed here: https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/105/12/e4252/5903559
   
   
2. Another study published in the Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacology suggested that on the subject of puberty blockers there is a lack of sound science: https://accpjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jac5.1691
   
   
3. A study published by the NIH states that Transgender individuals who undergo gender-affirming medical or surgical therapies are at risk for infertility. Suppression of puberty with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist analogs (GnRHa) in the pediatric transgender patient can pause the maturation of germ cells, and thus, affect fertility potential. Testosterone therapy in transgender men can suppress ovulation and alter ovarian histology, while estrogen therapy in transgender women can lead to impaired spermatogenesis and testicular atrophy. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6626312/

Is it moral to be doing these serious health damaging things to children? Is it moral to allow ourselves to be too quick to assume a child's temporal phase as some life threatening condition when it just might be a phase, which is so common in children?

It's important to note that while these studies suggest potential health concerns associated with the use of puberty blockers, more research is needed to fully understand the long-term effects of these medications. The decision to use puberty blockers should always be made in consultation with a qualified healthcare provider and should be based on a careful evaluation of the risks and benefits for each individual patient.

I am an old school liberal, and there a lot of crap being dished out by the hard left that I'm not in line with, just as much as the stuff I'm not in line with on the hard right. Let us all move closer to the center where we can bridge gaps more easily, and find common ground and get stuff done, or at least stuff that doesn't harm children.

Are there legitimate trans cases? Probably, but my view is that they are much rarer than some on the left would have us believe. Just an opinion, but it's my opinion, my honest opinion and feel free to tell me why I'm wrong.

 

I have a less complex take. Repubs are eager to keep the focus off the fact they have no plans to solve the nation's problems. Hence they drone on about things for which they can generate ginned up outrage like CRT, same sex marriage, gender confusion, LBGTQ, Hunter, balloons, wokeness, grooming, and all manner of other conspiracy theories.

 

As far as I'm concerned, leave it up to the physician, the patient, and the patient's guardians. Why should the government decide for them?

 

Bill Maher is too old for us to care about his opinion.

People don't realize when they get old, and think they are still hip, but he's out of touch with where the world is heading.

 

except half those things are not “theories”. Also the OP finally makes an engaging non partisan thread and you come in here polluting it with your partisan bs?
Get a grip!

 

I agree with this, government doesn’t need to be invoked in the decisions made between medical professionals, non-partisan state medical boards, medical organizations and their patients.

We have seen politicians jump in to save conversion therapy against medical advice, prevent life saving medical procedures because it looks like abortion, preventing abortion based on a baby’s soul, and now trying to interject in these types of procedures.

This is what you get when laws are based on a religious text and not science.

 

Discussions about gender and alternatives and choices should not include children up to about 6th or 7th grade. Medical issues should only involve the parents and doctors. WHAT in hell is wrong with people??? This whole thing is messing up our kids and our society!

 

How like the Taliban!

 

I'm mostly in favor of bans on surgical or chemical transition treatments for those under 18. Could go lower to 17 or possibly 16 at a stretch, since they will have mostly gone through puberty already. Definitely not for elementary and middle school aged kids though.

To be quite honest, I'm about sick of the trans issues in general. I'm tired of the left bringing it up as if it's a huge great wrong being done and I'm sick of the right bringing it up as if transgender people are the downfall of society. This is the whole same-sex marriage debate retooled into another issue now that SSM has been mostly settled. It's the same folks on the same sides saying essentially the same things, but what's missing for me is the legal discrimination that we saw with same-sex marriage bans. I opposed such bans and any other legal means for discriminating against gay folks, because that was the law doing it. I never for a moment confused opposition to those bans with thinking we were going to change how people feel.

With the trans issues, the objective legal issue like that is mostly missing. It's almost all emotion, except for a few hot button issues with a handful of incidents blown up into some huge deal. "There was a guy playing on a girl's team and everybody's lives were ruined". "They didn't let that guy use the girls bathroom even though he identified as a woman that day". "Trans people have a mental illness, it's called gender dysphoria you know, so that gives me permission to be a complete and total ******". "The lady who wrote Harry Potter said trans women aren't real women so she supports trans kids committing suicide and violence against trans people obviously".

Maybe I'm just getting crotchety at my ripe old age of 41 but I find myself criticizing both sides on this issue all the time anymore. I think this debate could use a big helping of "just shut the hell up" to everybody involved(in general, not specific people on this forum).

 

Christian nationals are very similar on their overall desires — they are just not as vocal on the punishments they deem worthy (yet)

They are already starting to advocate arrests again so I doubt execution being a mainstream position for them is too far away.

 

Instead of being ageist why not try and dispute what was said?

 

Excellent presentation of the subject.

 

It should be outlawed. Offenders should face a mandatory life sentence.

 

Do you feel the same way about smoking?

 

If there were physicians recommending smoking, you might have a point to discuss. I await your link.

 

That's what I figured...lol

 

• I'm glad you can admit that your position relies on the claim that t physicians were recommending smoking and that you can't defend that claim.
  

 

So, if physicians recommend it, that means it's ok?...lol

 

Has the government dropped the restrictions of selling cigarettes to minors? How about alcohol? I guess some matters concerning the health and well-being of minors is considered reasonable for the government's involvement, whereas the government taking steps to protect the well-being of minors on this matter is none of its business -- according to some people.

 

Better than anything you've got so far. Why do you think that patients should ignore the advice of their physicians?

 

They're waiting for a physician to say it's ok...lol

 

If a physician told you to shoot up cyanide, would you do it?

 

What I say doesn't matter any more than what Bill Maher says.

All of these genders we are making fun of now are going to be part of the culture, there isn't anything we can do about it even if we wanted to.

 

Isn't there enough evidence to suggest waiting until the minor becomes an adult before allowing it?

 

Not for the Leftists.