Part 4 in 4-part series, ‘Mutilation or Healthcare?’
by Alison Despathy
Scientific research on the causes of this surge in trans youth and gender dysphoria is severely limited. Is it genetic, it is environmental, is it psychological? Is it a highly manipulative coordinated marketing ploy? Is it all of these and more? We owe it to our children to ask these questions and to determine what is happening with this recent rise in trans youth and its accompanying “gender affirming care” experimentation
Exacerbating an already controversial, polarized and for many painful situation, Vermont’s supposed leaders such as Representative Becca Balint continue to blindly and completely support this mutilating and experimental ‘treatment’ for our youth. Balint has turned an honored political position, historically based on service and representation, into an extremely partisan, ideological activist platform based on anger and contempt for those who question or disagree with her opinion. She has been consumed by the wave of blind, partisan, identity politics, popularity, extremism and donors instead of staying focused on the issues and serving all Vermonters
In addition to fomenting division between the people of Vermont, Balint has introduced a highly controversial bill that fuels this unscientific, unregulated, and irresponsible mutilation of our youth.
Balint’s bill H.R. 2487, titled the Transgender Health Care Access Act, proposes to improve medical education curricula and offer training demonstration programs for ‘gender affirming care’. It also expands capacity for ‘gender affirming care’ at community health centers, especially in rural areas. Transgender youth are a high focus of Balint’s bill with gender affirming care defined as “healthcare designed to treat gender dysphoria” H.R. 2487 proposes $10-15 million dollar grants for the development and implementation of demonstration and training projects for ‘gender affirming care.’
Without understanding the causes of gender dysphoria, one cannot “treat” gender dysphoria. In other words, Balint’s bill encourages experimentation on our youth struggling with gender dysphoria versus focusing efforts, research and funding to understand what has led to this steep increase in gender dysphoria and what steps can be taken to protect children from side effect laden medications and permanent mutilation.
As discussed in Part 2 of this series, the UK is shifting to a holistic approach versus medical model with a strong emphasis on screening those with gender dysphoria for neurodevelopmental conditions including autism and ADHD
On June 18th, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in United States v. Skrmetti that states can legally ban transgender treatments on minors. Tennessee’s passing of SB1 banned ‘gender affirming care’ for minors and prompted the lawsuit that resulted in this recent Supreme Court ruling. The ruling specified that denying a child access to transgender treatments is not discrimination; a ruling which sets the stage for individual states to determine laws on this issue. In 2023, South Dakota also passed a law to ban ‘gender affirming surgery’ and puberty blockers in youth.
In 2024, the UK and several European countries banned puberty blockers for minorsdue to the research performed by UK pediatrician, Dr Hilary Cass, which identified a disproportionate amount of mental health conditions in youth with gender dysphoria. In 2020, the Commission on Human Medicines, “provided independent expert advice that there is currently an unacceptable safety risk in the continued prescription of puberty blockers to children. It recommends indefinite restrictions while work is done to ensure safety of children and young people.”
Specific statements in the 2020 final judgement of the UK Royal Courts of Justice in Bell -v- Tavistock’s Gender Identity Development Service include,
“We do not fully know how hormone blockers will affect bone strength, the development of your sexual organs, body shape or your final adult height. There could be other long-term effects of hormone blockers in early puberty that we don’t yet know about.”
“We note here that we find it surprising that such data [age distribution of those treated with puberty blockers] was not collated in previous years given the young age of the patient group, the experimental nature of the treatment and the profound impact that it has.”
“Little is known about the long-term side effects of hormones or puberty blockers in children with gender dysphoria…. it is not known what the psychological effects may be.”
Keep in mind that in 2022,Vermont Senator Vyhovsky (D- Chittenden-Central District) sponsored H.659, a bill that proposed, “to allow a minor who identifies as transgender to consent to receiving hormone blockers and other nonsurgical, gender-affirming care and treatment without requiring parental consent.”
This bill did not pass but it offers insight into the risks and extremism that some supposed leaders are willing to allow regarding experimentation on youth. There are well known side effects and unknown long term impacts with experimental ‘gender affirming care’ treatments. Allowing a minor to make these monumental, life altering and experimental decisions and attempt a benefit risk analysis is beyond dangerous, it is criminal.
It is this level of impulsion and blind support for an agenda that brings harm to humanity. With no foundation of science or safety, these actions by ‘leaders’ are irresponsible and destructive to our youth.
Nelson Mandela stated, “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”
Protecting our children is the top priority of a healthy and functional society. Preventing harm and abuse of our children must be the driving force to determine the cause of this trans culture mania and its accompanying mutilation. We owe it to our children and the future of humanity to dive below the surface of this painful and polarizing topic and work relentlessly to understand the situation and protect our youth.
The author is a clinical nutritionist and educator living in Danville.