Kerby Anderson

Rich Lowry believes Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is making the right decision about so-called “gender-affirming care.” The HHS is pushing back against such treatment for children under age 18. They have engaged in several regulatory actions that will discourage doctors and hospitals from continuing the practice.

“As part of the effort, HHS released a review of the state of research into gender-affirming care. The study establishes that this suite of interventions — involving puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone therapy, as well as surgery — has been justified by a bogus, ideologically driven scientific consensus.’

Lest you think this is merely a partisan reaction, consider that most of the authors engaged in the report describe themselves as left of center. They explain that much of the justification for such aggressive treatment of pediatric gender dysphoria came from flawed Dutch studies.

The authors of the studies were aware that gender-reassignment surgery on adults wasn’t solving their mental distress, so they concluded that earlier interventions might be more successful. The studies had small sample sizes and no control groups.

Two years ago, I had Dr. Miriam Grossman on my radio program to talk about her book, Lost in Trans Nation. She not only pointed to those problems with the study but also described other concerns with the Dutch studies.

Most European countries no longer pursue such treatment. Fortunately, the US has decided to follow the rest of the world and realize that such treatments have imposed real physical and emotional harms. The HHS Secretary deserves our praise.