JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ChurchMilitant.com) – Missouri’s attorney general is issuing an emergency regulation to protect children from so-called gender transition procedures.
State Attorney General Andrew Bailey
State Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced Monday he’ll file a rule limiting minors’ access to cross-sex interventions due to the skyrocketing demand and rising concerns that they’re experimental and lack clinical evidence of safety or success.
He declared in a press release, “Even Europe recognizes that mutilating children for the sake of a woke, leftist agenda has irreversible consequences, and countries like Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom have all sharply curtailed these procedures.”
“I am dedicated to using every legal tool at my disposal to stand in the gap and protect children from being subject to inhumane science experiments,” remarked Bailey.
Once in place, the new rules will require a full psychological assessment consisting of at least 15 hour-long therapy sessions over a period of 18 months before minors can proceed with so-called transitioning. He also wants the comprehensive screening to determine whether autism is present.
Further, Bailey is requiring all mental health comorbidities be treated before a patient can move forward with trans procedures.
This is an oft overlooked step, with the majority on the Left claiming transitioning is the solution to children struggling with gender dysphoria. Activists claim that denying young people so-called gender-affirming care is on par with handing them a noose and showing them where to securely hang themselves.
Mental Health Woes & Social Pressure
A leading child psychiatrist, however, refutes this notion. Internationally respected expert on pediatric gender medicine Dr. Riittakerttu Kaltiala has encountered hundreds of children with gender dysphoria during her time at Finland’s largest pediatric gender clinic.
Dr. Riittakerttu Kaltiala
She explained in a recent publication that children who exhibit gender dysphoria often have other underlying mental problems in need of treatment and revealed 3 in 4 of her patients have serious mental health issues.
The minority who don’t, she argued, aren’t in immediate need of being placed on suicide watch: “Mentally healthy young people who experience their gender in a way that differs from their biological body are not automatically suicidal,” Kaltiala mentioned.
Anecdotal as well as growing scientific evidence suggests personal peers and those on social media are encouraging people under 18 to explore switching genders.
Aiding Informed Consent
One scientific study notes that an individual whose friend identifies as transgender is over 70 times more likely to similarly identify as transgender, suggesting that many individuals incorrectly believe themselves to be transgender and in need of transition because of social factors.
That’s an underreported finding that Missouri’s attorney general wants to include in informed-consent disclosures given to young patients.
Attorney General Bailey also wants disclosure forms to alert children that:
The use of puberty-blocking drugs or cross-sex hormones to treat gender identity disorder or gender dysphoria is experimental and is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The FDA has issued a warning that puberty blockers can lead to brain swelling and blindness
Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare (NBHW) recently declared that, at least for minors, “the risks of puberty suppressing treatment with GnRH-analogues and gender-affirming hormonal treatment currently outweigh the possible benefits”
The Endocrine Society found that “the large majority (about 85%) of prepubertal children with a childhood diagnosis did not remain GD/gender incongruent in adolescence”
The latest finding from the Endocrine Society is similar to what Kaltiala found in her research. The Finnish physician acknowledged 4 in 5 children who identify as the opposite sex will feel differently after puberty.
“That’s why it’s wise to monitor the situation, give the child peace of mind and treat the family’s anxiety and possible related problems,” she advised.
Much Is Still Unknown
A rarely discussed scenario is what happens to transgender patients should they suddenly lose access to the chemicals needed to maintain their physically altered facade? Pharmaceutical shortages in America and abroad are becoming more commonplace, with the FDA admitting there are about 200 medications that are in short supply.
For instance, a drug used to treat asthma and other respiratory illnesses, albuterol, has been in short supply since last summer, and the shortage is expected to get worse. Last month, one of only two U.S.-based albuterol manufacturers filed for bankruptcy. Another prevalent drug, Adderall, used to alleviate such ailments as ADHD, depression and dementia, has been on the FDA’s shortage list since October. In December, pharmacy shelves were devoid of children’s pain medications, sparking fear in parents. Many pharmacists have said recent medication shortages are the worst they’ve ever seen.
So what are the short- and long-term effects if puberty blockers and synthetic hormones — which are taken for life — are no longer available? How would a sudden discontinuance impact chemically castrated children both physically and mentally? There aren’t sufficient answers to these questions because widespread transgenderism is a relatively new mental health crisis.
To help better understand the detrimental effects of so-called transition procedures, Attorney General Bailey is also requiring physicians to track all adverse effects that arise from such interventions for all patients beginning the first day of intervention and continuing for at least 15 years.
Bailey’s office hasn’t revealed when it will file the emergency health care rules with the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office.