WoLF Submits Testimony to Prevent Child Medicalization in Montana
On January 26, 2023, WoLF submitted written testimony in support of Montana Senate Bill 99, the Youth Health Protection Act. If passed, this bill will make it illegal for health care professionals to perform dangerous and unnecessary medical procedures on minors simply because they claim to have a “gender identity.” It also holds health care professionals liable for the long-term injury that results from performing such medical experiments on children.
After providing clear definitions for words such as “male,” “female,” and “sex,” the Youth Health Protection Act (SB99) lists medical procedures it would prohibit physicians from administering to young people who have been deceived by gender ideology. Among the list of prohibited surgical procedures, “erection or testicular prostheses” stands out as a tragic, lifelong alteration for a healthy young girl. The bill also prohibits “supraphysiologic” doses of testosterone or estrogen, referring to the practice of exposing patients to much more of a hormone than humans naturally produce in order to mimic secondary sexual characteristics of the other sex. Lastly, it prohibits the use of drugs that interfere with the onset of puberty by suppressing hormone production.
As evidenced by the feedback we sent to the NIH last November, WoLF is well aware of the ethical issues created by pretending a social issue is a medical one. If “gender identity” and sex are truly unrelated, there is no reason someone claiming to have a gender identity would want to alter their natural sexual characteristics. Especially a child. And because the lasting consequences of these procedures are so poorly studied, subjects of this medicalization can expect health complications for the rest of their lives.
“Unnecessary surgeries, puberty-blocking medications, cross-sex hormones, the removal of healthy body parts, and other cosmetic surgical procedures on young people have harmful, long-lasting, and often permanent effects. It doesn’t matter if a child is 10, or 14, or 17 – the child will undoubtedly be affected for the rest of his or her life by medical professionals who were responsible for profound, life-altering decisions about the child’s body, future health, and future fertility.”
To account for long-term effects of child medicalization, SB99 also outlines a process for holding health care professionals or physicians liable if they have already administered these treatments and it causes harm to a child. In the written testimony we have submitted, WoLF supports this course of action. Medical professionals should be held accountable for causing harm to children and adolescents. However, we also acknowledge in our testimony that gender ideology is inherently manipulative, so that questioning whether these treatments are truly the right course of action can come with severe professional consequences.
“While we firmly believe that medical professionals should be held responsible, we also want to note that many practitioners have been repeatedly informed by their professional associations, mentors, and colleagues that ‘gender affirming’ treatments are the only appropriate responses for minors who might be ‘gender dysphoric’ or for minors who identify as transgender, non-binary, etc… We would like to urge caution against assuming that all healthcare providers are malicious or are intentionally taking advantage of vulnerable children.”
We also support SB99 for blocking the use of public funds to subsidize these treatments. Section 4.10 even prohibits state employees who interact with children as part of their job from encouraging children struggling with their identities to medically alter their bodies.
Between protecting children from life-altering medical experimentation, holding health care professionals accountable for the damage these procedures cause, and denying public support for compounding a temporary problem with permanent consequences, Montana’s SB99 bears many similarities with three bills in Missouri for which WoLF recently submitted supportive testimony. We are glad to see our lawmakers fighting back, and proud to stand with them.
WoLF is a radical feminist organization with a long history of exposing the harm caused by gender ideology. In 2021, we took a strong stance opposing child medicalization by submitting an amicus brief in Brandt v. Rutledge to support the Arkansas SAFE Act. We have compiled feedback to the NIH, collecting comments from WoLF members and volunteers who are professionals in healthcare fields. Our Letters from the Front initiative lets readers help lift back the veil by sharing their stories, and includes stories about medicalizing children.
We are also supporting women fighting medical malpractice in the historic case of Kiefel v. Ruff, a lawsuit seeking justice for women who were misled by medical professionals to undergo surgery because of their belief that they had a “gender identity.”
Because our voices matter, WoLF also makes it easy to tell our lawmakers what we think about these policies. Currently, we have two active opportunities to oppose child medicalization.
Help WoLF & Lend Your Voice in Support!
Click here to tell the American Academy of Pediatrics to drop the “Affirmative Care” Model!
Click here to tell Congress to pass the Protect Minors from Medical Malpractice Act!
