http://childrenshospitalblog.org/childrens-gives-transgender-tween-new-hope/
This article discusses the early life and struggles of a transgendered child who strongly identified with the female gender despite being biologically male. More specifically, it details the family’s decision to use medical techniques to suppress puberty in their child through monthly injections that block sex hormones. This treatment has become standard for transgendered preteens in other countries such as the Netherlands, but is only offered in a few hospitals in the United States.
The article states that not only must the child submit to a host of rigorous psychological tests before receiving the treatment, but the puberty suppression treatment is fully reversible at any time. The child can discontinue taking the drugs and would then go through puberty according to their biological sex. If the child were to continue taking the puberty suppression drugs, they could then choose whether to eventually take hormone therapy or have a sex change surgery.
The doctors who supervise the puberty suppression treatment state that “For the appropriate patients, we’ve found that the use of this therapy not only prevents severe psychological distress, but allows these young adolescents a chance to begin to blossom into their true selves”. What do you think about the treatment? If you were in a similar situation to the parents in the article, do you think you would choose the same path for your child?
I don't think this treatment is all that bad. Okay, honestly it would be kind of weird to halt maturation on yourself when everyone around is starting to grow into an Adult but....if thats what it takes to help you to be physiologically stable then it must be. Going through your teenage years is hard enough without being transgenedered. There us such an already high rate of suicide for teenage youth who don't feel accepted by society for one reason or another. And then you throw being transgendered into the mix? Only disaster will come. As the article stated there is a high percentage of transgenedered youth who commit suicide because it attacks on them so powerfully psychologically. I believe the treatment is very positive. It seems that there is a very intense pre-screening process that takes place in order to even be considered for the treatment. And then after that there is even more interviews and meetings to decide if this really is a solution for the problem. So it's not like people are randomly being picked to do this but that there is a process. The article stated that 17 people have completed the treatment to date and in the end, they felt it was perfect for them. If this is a way to prolong the happiness of a person who is struggling with such a great burden...then I am all for it.
ReplyDeleteIf I had a child who was struggling with following the role of their biological gender, I think I would most definitely consider doing this treatment. The fact that it's reversible makes me feel more comfortable about it. I think if you go so far as to take puberty suppression treatment, and if the child or person feels like that's the only way to be who they really are, then they should follow through with a sex change surgery. It would have to be all their choice, though, because I wouldn't want to force them into either choice, of doing it or not doing it. I don't understand how this whole transgendered thing factors in with God's plan for us. We were a certain gender in the premortal life...what if we pick the wrong one on earth? Or maybe we're born the opposite way as a trial? It's interesting to think about.
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