Treatment for gender dysphoria aims to help people live the way they want to, in their preferred gender identity or as non-binary.
Some young trans, intersex, and gender non-binary people may decide to take puberty blockers after talking about it with their parents or guardian and a nurse or doctor.
This is the best argument for starting early which is exactly what makes this topic so difficult and why nuanced discussion about it needs to be had rather than just calling the people transphobes who advocate for caution. If there was a way to make sure they’re not going to change their minds later then starting with the treatment as early as possible would seems like the obvious way to go, but it’s not quite that simple. And no, I’m not for blanket bans either.
Except that’s fine if they do? If you stop taking puberty blockers, you start going through puberty. This is not some magic irreversible medication or something, for the ~1% that do change their mind this isn’t an issue.
I could maybe see this argument work for gender reassignment surgery, but not for puberty blockers.
We should let healthcare experts make healthcare decisions.
Agreed. Calling someone a transphobe is almost always counterproductive. It pushes people away, and even someone who is won’t feel shame about it.
Most people just have no experience with trans healthcare. They want to know that the kids are ok, because politicians have spent hundreds of millions of dollars exaggerating legitimate concerns to generate outrage.
Misdiagnosis is a concern that countries attempt to prevent with eligibility criteria and medical safety regulations. They are also financially incentivized to avoid being sued, and don’t want to pay out for anything medically unnecessary.
I just did a quick search and here is a list of what the NHS was requiring before someone underage could start treatment:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/clinical-commissioning-policy-prescribing-of-gender-affirming-hormones.pdf