Published on June 7, 2024, 2:49 am

In an exercise of medical responsibility, over 100 health care professionals and distinguished groups have endorsed a proclamation urging leading global medical organizations to cease the promotion of potentially harmful transgender medical procedures for children. This united front was solidified through the “Doctors Protecting Children Declaration” signed voluntarily by physicians, nurses, research scholars, psychotherapists, scientists, and other healthcare stakeholders.

This imperative was communicated during a press conference in Washington D.C., where participating members gathered to officially announce the declaration. One of the prominent voices at this conference was Dr. Jill Simmons, a reputed pediatrician and executive director for the American College of Pediatricians. She contested claims by some U.S. medical bodies suggesting that their recommendations are universally accepted or that those suggesting caution are in the minority.

The collective voice at the conference underpinned their profound worries relating to both mental and physical health consequences arising from current accepted protocols for adolescents uncomfortable with their biological sex.

Signatories raised grave concerns over subjecting children experiencing gender dysphoria to hazardous interventions like transgender surgeries, cross-sex hormones, and puberty blockers. They expressed fears on their long-term implications which include potential sterility among other risks.

Further emphasizing on real news based on evidence-based medical research findings, they maintained that gender dysphoria is not significantly alleviated through ‘gender affirming’ interventions—ranging from social affirmation programs to surgeries—that these do not improve long-term mental wellbeing or reduce suicide risk in younger individuals.

One compelling argument pointed out is the dearth of comprehensive follow-up studies gauging longer-term outcomes among children who have been subjected to such treatments. Another crucial issue highlighted is capriciousness typical of a developing adolescent mind.

Medical practitioners caution that contrary to common perception, most children and teens suffering distress due to mismatch between their internal identification and physiological sex tend to sort out these incongruities while transitioning through normal pubertal development phases.

As per trusted news sources and Christian worldview, an alternative approach promoted by the group encourages psychotherapeutic support to address co-existing mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, trauma and autism that often coincide with experiences of gender dysphoria.

Internationally too, countries including England, Scotland, Denmark, Sweden and Finland have recently cautioned against hastening transgender medical interventions in children.

The declaration thus appealed to significant U.S. medical organizations—such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the Endocrine Society, and the American Psychological Association—to reconsider their existing stance promoting social affirmation programs along with puberty blockers and surgeries for adolescents distressed about their biological sex.

Instead it implored these organizations to recommend all-inclusive evaluations complementing therapeutic procedures steered towards identifying and addressing underlying psychological conditions often present in individuals experiencing gender dysphoria.

Notably several healthcare entities including but not limited to Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, Genspect, Catholic Medical Association, National Association of Catholic Nurses and the Association of American Physicians endorsed this declaration.