“First Do No Harm” protest planned for October. 8 Conventions
Three influential U.S. medical groups are urging the U.S. Justice Department to “investigate and prosecute all organizations, individuals and entities that share false information about transgender-related medical care for minors.”
Letter 3, sent to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in October, represents the latest wave in a heated national debate.
In the letter, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Medical Association and the Children’s Hospital Association insist that “false information” must be stopped and those who spread it prosecuted, adding that their words incite threats, intimidation, and violence against medical professionals Behavior.
Critics interpreted the letter as an attempt to suppress opposition to lucrative medical treatments and to shift the focus away from growing concerns about the safety, efficacy and ethics of such interventions. They noted that the letter was sent just days before AAP’s convention in Anaheim, Calif., where critics of the process plan to hold a “first do no harm” solidarity rally on Oct. 10. 8.
Woman ‘medically converted’ to man won’t be silent
In response to the letter, Scott Newgent, a biological woman who deeply regrets becoming a man at age 42 after having two children, told The Epoch Times “This is to silence me and others like me,” the Times text said.
Nugent has refused to stop his advocacy, saying he is also under threat for his strong opposition to medical gender transition for minors. Nugent’s medical transition resulted in lifelong complications; he was keen to “save children” from similar consequences. Newgent’s advocacy group TreVoices.org declares: “Medical transition is not for children!”
Nugent plans to attend the Anaheim protests this weekend, as well as at the Tennessee State Capitol scheduled for Oct. 21 in Nashville. There, lawmakers have been expressing frustration with Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s gender-based treatment of minors, which conservative commentator Matt Walsh uncovered in a recent Telegraph investigation.
Debate over ‘gender affirming care’
People on both sides of the debate agree on one thing: An increasing number of young people are being diagnosed with “gender dysphoria,” an intense and ongoing conflict between a person’s biological sex and self-awareness. The origins of this trend and the best way to help younger patients, as well as nearly every other aspect of the topic, are hotly debated.
Opponents accuse ‘gender affirmation’ proponents of fast-tracking minors during puberty-blocking drugs, transgender hormones and body-altering surgery, denouncing the process as ‘child abuse’; proponents say the procedures are harmful to patients Overall health is “medically necessary”.
Some proponents of the “gender affirmation” model argue that questioning a minor’s uncertainty about their gender tinges with “conversion therapy,” a process designed to turn someone’s attraction to the opposite sex .
People like Nugent counter that many “transitioning” young people are actually attracted to same-sex people, not transgender people. Many gay rights advocacy groups oppose “gender affirming” therapy.
Lawmakers across the country are responding to the public outcry over the process in a variety of ways. Last week, California became a “sanctuary state,” welcoming people from states that ban or limit the treatment of minors. On Oct. 17, a fight over the nation’s first law banning minors procedures went to trial in Arkansas federal court.
Medical groups claim ‘disinformation campaign’
Supporters of the “gender-affirming care” model include three groups who wrote to Garland urging “swift action” against a wave of “coordinated attacks” against medical professionals providing controversial medical interventions.
Some medical professionals and patients involved in other types of care have been caught in the crossfire, the groups said. “A new mother was prevented from being with her premature baby in a hospital,” the group’s letter said, as no one was allowed in or out of the neonatal intensive care unit due to a bomb threat.
In addition, people working at the medical center were harassed by social media messages, phone calls and protests, the letter said, “These attacks stemmed from a deliberate disinformation campaign in which some high-profile users shared false and misleading information on social media. ,” inciting threats and violence.
In addition to seeking intervention from the Department of Justice, the medical groups are grouping “Twitter, TikTok and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram…to take bolder action when it comes to sharing false information about specific institutions and physicians,” the AAP press release said. .
Because of these threats, medical professionals are now afraid to provide children with “evidence-based, gender-affirming health care,” the letter said.
Attempts to electronically stifle opponents fail, campaigners say
In social media posts reacting to the letter, some ordinary citizens expressed concern about the groups’ apparent attempts to censor and persecute opponents. They also condemned the violence but supported the right of opponents to express concerns about medical procedures. Some have questioned the authenticity of the letter, pointing out that it did not appear on the group’s official letterhead, nor was it signed – just the typed names of the three groups. However, the letter was posted on the website of the American Academy of Pediatrics, along with a press release citing leaders of all three groups.
Nugent, who describes himself as “transgender,” said in a text to The Epoch Times that Big Tech has repeatedly censored his social media posts; the same thing has happened to others who share his views . Nugent noted that within hours of the letter being sent to Garland, warnings were raised across all of his media accounts. He sent The Epoch Times a screenshot of a “critical security alert” in his email account.
Despite an apparent attempt to block this information electronically, Nugent sees a growing call for calm, non-medical solutions for gender dysphoric teens.
“People are listening … shadow bans on social media are not stopping me,” Nugent texted. “It keeps getting bigger because I’m right.” Parents have been hiding the truth about children’s medical transitions, and many are forced and misled into giving consent, he said.
Do 270,000 professionals agree?
Although the three associations that sent the letter to Garland said they collectively represented 270,000 U.S. medical professionals, the leaders of those organizations did not necessarily represent the general public. Members of groups who doubt or question the “gender affirmation” model often remain silent for fear that dissent will kill their careers, the whistleblower said.
Advocates of treatments claim they are “life-saving” because gender dysphoric young people often threaten or attempt suicide. But transgender adults also have high suicide rates, even after surgery.
Critics of the procedures also say there are no long-term, robust studies that convince them that the treatments do more good than harm to young people. Proponents accuse the men of ignoring recent findings that the procedures can improve the mental health and well-being of suffering teens.
Alejandra Caraballo, Citing an outcry over a recent research grant, a trans rights supporter with nearly 50,000 Twitter followers tweeted: “It’s never enough for them. Gender affirmation, they say. Nursing doesn’t have enough evidence or research. When doctors do research, they say it’s activism. It’s not in good faith, they just don’t want trans people to exist.”
Podcaster and columnist Matt Walsh told Nugent’s regrettable story earlier this year in his documentary “What’s a Woman?”reacted to the doctor’s letter tweet To his 1 million followers: “Some of the largest and most powerful medical organizations in the country are now calling on the federal government to prosecute and jail those of us who criticize their medical practices. We are entering a very dark time. I am ready. .”
In an AAP press release, Children’s Hospital Association President Amy Wimpey Knight called for a return to “citizen dialogue” amid the emotional debate.
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Janice Hisle writes on a variety of topics, focusing on criminal justice news and trends. Before joining The Epoch Times, she worked as a reporter for Ohio newspapers for more than two decades and wrote several books. A journalism graduate of Kent State University, she embraced “old school” journalism with a modern twist. You can contact Janice by email at janice.hisle@epochtimes.us