The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) said today that, despite the suffocating bias apparent throughout the program, the ABC 4 Corners episode, “Blocked”, which aired on Monday 10 July 2023, was forced to acknowledge that gender affirming treatment has been rejected in leading overseas jurisdictions and is the subject of much concern among leading Australian clinicians.
Wendy Francis, ACL’s National Director of Politics, said, “Despite the program’s obvious attempt to produce a “hit piece” aimed at the Westmead Clinic, no amount of bias could hide the truth. Substantial peer reviewed research shows the majority of children suffering from gender dysphoria have significant co-morbidities and have experienced serious adverse childhood experiences.
“In a shameful display of bias, leading clinicians such as Drs Diana Kenny and Jillian Spencer were given miniscule time in the program to express their opposition to the affirmation model of treatment. Relevant facts were skimmed over, such as England’s Tavistock Clinic having to close due to its unquestioning adherence to the affirmation model of care, leading to the UK’s NHS rejecting the affirmation model, along with leading European nations including Finland, Sweden and Norway.”
Francis said “There is an increasing number of brave detransitioners speaking out but they were given very little recognition. It is incredibly disappointing that, despite the increasing body of evidence, and the victims coming forward, our national broadcaster promoted irreversible treatments such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and body harming surgeries like double mastectomies, without any serious exploration of the long term consequences of these treatments”.
The ACL continues to call on the Federal Government to delay no further on commissioning an independent inquiry into the treatment of sex confused and gender dysphoric children.
