Key Points
- In a new paper published last week, American doctors picked apart the methodology and key conclusions of two Dutch studies which formed the basis for modern pediatric gender medicine by claiming to observe improved mental health for patients who underwent sex changes.
- The Dutch studies only included the most successful cases of individuals undergoing cross-sex treatments and excluded the experiences of those who dropped out of the study over time, creating a bias towards participants who reported positive experiences, according to the new, critical study.
- “The field has a penchant for exaggerating what is known about the benefits of the practice, while downplaying the serious health risks and uncertainties,” the critique reads. “As a result, a false narrative has taken root. It is that ‘gender-affirming’ medical and surgical interventions for youth are as benign as aspirin, as well-studied as penicillin and statins, and as essential to survival as insulin for childhood diabetes.”
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