Trans youth health care choices are for families, not government to decide
When Michigan parents need to make a medical decision for their child, they know whose input they want: their child's doctor and health care team, their family and friends and other trusted people in their lives who they know will put their child's well-being first.
But as a family medicine doctor, I've never seen a parent wonder what their state legislator thinks. They frequently wonder what the best research shows, or ask about the established guidelines of reputable medical organizations, but they don't ask their house representative if they should breastfeed, nor their senator if they should have a C-section.
Parents have always been entrusted with having conversations with medical professionals, weighing the evidence, and making the best decisions for their children.
Why, then, are Republicans in Lansing trying to take away parents' ability to decide what medical care is right for their children?
Why are they pushing harmful legislation (House Bills 4466-4468) that would criminalize pediatricians for following the recommendations of every major medical association in the United States, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists?
Because transgender children have become the new political scapegoat, and legislators who do not know them, their stories, their families, their dreams, or anything about their medical care do not trust parents to make thoughtful, informed decisions on what's best for their future.
Parents considering what type of care their child needs deserve the right to talk individually with trained experts; to have their questions answered privately; to engage with a full care team of physicians, psychologists, and social workers; to receive detailed, specific information that applies to their child and their needs, free from bias and government interference.
Kids and their families need our support, not our government's targeted legislative attack.
The truth is, most of these parents already know intimately what the research has proven time and again:
Medical care for transgender young people is life-saving care.
These vulnerable children are more likely to be bullied, threatened and attempt suicide than their peers.
Providing essential medical care ensures access to social, medical and psychological support while navigating the complexities of adolescence and leads to improved emotional health outcomes.
Those who claim to sincerely question this health care are also in favor of banning further research – a convenient solution, and not one genuinely invested in people's well-being.
Transgender young people are already on the frontline of so many fights for which they did not ask. We cannot allow the government to ban essential medical care and criminalize healthcare providers who have dedicated their lives to helping all children – not just the ones who fit a certain mold. Attempts to ban medical care makes these children more depressed, anxious and vulnerable. This legislation will only make kids less safe.
You don't need to know everything about transgender people or transgender health care to know that it's wrong for the government to interfere with parents and doctors making personal health care decisions that follow all major medical guidelines, and it's wrong for Republican legislators to bully a small group of children who make up less than 1% of the population and use them as political pawns to distract us from real issues facing Michiganders.
You only need to know that parents need the freedom to make decisions for their children's health care in the privacy of their doctor's office, without having the harmful rhetoric of extremist politicians forced upon them. That's the kind of protection transgender young people really need right now.
Dr. Lauren Snyder is a board-certified family medicine physician in Michigan.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Trans youth and their families need no government meddling | Opinion
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