The whole "transgender" social contagion has been going on for a while now. I'm not talking about the actual people who actually have the long-recognized psychological condition called gender dysphoria; there are such people, and they are properly handled with therapy. On the other hand are the activists, the proponents of an agenda; they don't want people properly analyzed and treated, they are interested only in ramming through their own ideas of what should and shouldn't be done - and they are willing to push to alter (and I mean "alter" in the sense one would "alter" a young tomcat) kids in service of that agenda.
That's not right. It's so not right that even Labour politicians in the UK are starting to come out against irreversible hormone treatments for kids, and we might note that most of the British Labour Party is a tad to the left of American Democrats on most issues.
Jonathan Hinder is a Member of Parliament (MP) from Pendle and Clitheroe, and he has some sharp words for a National Health Service (NHS) trial of hormone treatments on children.
A Labour backbencher has made a fresh plea for Health Secretary Wes Streeting to stop a controversial trial of puberty blocking drugs.
Jonathan Hinder, the MP for Pendle and Clitheroe, branded the 'immoral' trial as 'a shameful experiment on children'.
He is among dozens of MPs and peers who are calling for Mr Streeting to think again about the 'Pathways' trial for gender-questioning youngsters.
"Think again" should be "think again or else," and Parliament should be willing to show the Health Secretary the "or else." Here's what the trial involves:
The King's College London trial will involve around 226 people aged between 10 and almost 16 and was recommended by the Cass Review into children's gender care.
The review concluded that the quality of research claiming to show the benefits of puberty blockers for youngsters with gender dysphoria was 'poor'.
Mr Streeting has admitted he is 'uncomfortable' with puberty-suppressing hormones being used on young people, but said it is his responsibility to follow expert advice.
A large group of parliamentarians last month signed a cross-party letter to the Health Secretary to warn that continuing with the trial is a 'dangerous mistake'.
Mr Hinder has now penned a joint newspaper article with Conservative MP Rebecca Paul, who has also signed the letter, in a further attempt to stop the trial.
The letter was, no doubt, sternly worded.
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The problem with this proposed trial is that there are no "benefits" of puberty blockers for children, with the possible exception of some very rare genetic syndromes that can cause premature puberty. Administered to normal children, as in physically normal children, these drugs can have serious, debilitating, irreversible, life-changing effects. They can cause problems that include:
- Reduced bone density and bone mass. Puberty is a key time for bone growth and calcification. These drugs can delay or arrest that process. That can also lead to growth issues, stunting what a child's otherwise normal stature may have been.
- Fertility. If used for any length of time, these drugs can not only delay puberty but also prevent it altogether. When taken with cross-sex hormones, the problems can be even more serious. These treatments can also prevent proper development of the sex organs, rendering the patient infertile and incapable of normal sexual behavior once they do reach maturity.
- Some studies on children with precocious puberty, which actually is a legitimate case for those medications, have shown that brain structure and cognitive development can be badly affected by puberty blockers.
Adverse effects aren't limited to these, but aren't those enough?
These are children, remember. People who, for good reason, aren't allowed to buy a beer, get a tattoo, join the Army, sign contracts, or smoke. They lack the maturity, the judgment, the ability to make informed decisions - and give informed consent. Yet the British Health Secretary sees no issue in giving them permanent, life-changing medical treatments that may never allow them to live a normal life. That's not research, and it's not the provision of medical care. It's caving to a vocal minority of activists. That's all it is.
The Tories, which are Britain's supposedly right-leaning party (and for Britain, we suppose they are, at least on their spectrum) have also come out against this trial.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch is among those opposed to the trial and has written to Mr Streeting saying it must be stopped 'before more damage is done to children'.
He's right. This is an experiment that shouldn't happen. There is already enough evidence to show that there is no gain, only loss, for kids put on these treatments. And if we have learned nothing else from this social contagion, it's that this isn't even a choice for parents; too many parents have bought into the ideology. Too many parents with "transgender kids" are like too many animal rights kooks who have a "vegan cat." The one thing you know about kids and cats is that none of this was their decision.
Here's the big question: If even the British left is starting to see the problem in this lunacy, why can't the American left?
