News Item

Evidence informed care is missing in gender treatments

To legislate for affirmation therapy, as the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute (TLRI) recommends, would be harmful in the extreme to Tasmanians and especially sex/gender confused children. Moreover, it is against the international trend.

A recent British Medical Journal article entitled “Caring for young people with gender dysphoria” published 9 March 2023 states,

A review of the Gender Development Identity Service at the Tavistock Clinic by Hilary Cass reported interim findings last year acknowledging the difficulties that clinicians face when providing care to young people with gender related stress.

Cass’s final report will be delivered this year, but her interim report’s effect has been to question the evidence behind interventions, other than psychological support, being offered to young people seeking gender transition. Similar shifts are evident in other countries, such as Sweden.

Much of this clinical practice is supported by guidance from medical societies and associations, but closer inspection of that guidance finds that the strength of clinical recommendations is not in line with the strength of the evidence. The risk of overtreatment of gender dysphoria is real.

If we have the best interests of young people at heart, then surely our duty is to offer evidence informed care?

Emphasis added.

This international trend (becoming a wave) is expressly contrary to the approach of the TLRI, which said:

People who are Gillick competent should be free to make decisions to change or suppress their sex characteristics without having to be assessed as having a mental illness.

Report [6.3.20]

The only responsible course for the Government is to suspend affirmation therapy including the prescription of puberty blockers and sterilising cross sex hormones and establish an independent inquiry into the treatment of sex/gender confused people, before it puts ink to paper and drafts any legislative response to the TLRI recommendations. 

The TLRI report is deeply flawed, especially in relation to sex/gender confused people. It is now absolutely clear, that to legislate for affirmation therapy, as the TLRI recommendations urge, would be harmful in the extreme to Tasmanians and especially sex/gender confused children. The Tasmanian Government must stop pandering to the extremists who wish to foist sex confusion on vulnerable people and suspend affirmation therapy pending a proper inquiry.

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