It is in a sense a "no news" news story. But worth reporting because the option of restrictions was put to Butler in a high-profile context. Also, worth correcting the record after one news report misread Butler's comments as an expediting of the puberty blocker advice.
SUICIDE RATES APPEAR HIGHEST IN THOSE WHO UNDERGO GENDER TRANSITION
Australia’s centres of paediatric excellence believe that children diagnosed with gender dysphoria (GD) represent a serious suicide threat that frequently justifies Gender Transition (GT)
All this for a condition that, if left untreated, would spontaneously resolve (desist) in 80% of cases by the time the child had reached adolescence.
The long term outcome for those undergoing GT is well summarised in multiple studies. I reference very briefly from two (readily accessible on the internet):
‘Somatic Morbidity and Cause of Death in Denmark (1978–2010)’
• Key Finding: Among individuals who underwent GT, somatic morbidity increased from 19.1% pre-surgery to 23.2% post-surgery, with a mortality rate of 9.6%. The average age at death was 53.5 years.
'Transition as Treatment: The Best Studies Show the Worst Outcomes'
• Key Findings: Total mortality was 51% higher than in the general population, mainly from suicide, AIDS, CVS diseases, drug abuse and unknown causes
Given the well documented elevated suicide rate in those who had undergone GT 30, 40 and 50 years ago and the extremely rare suicide rate in children with gender dysphoria, it is probable that suicide occurs most commonly in those who have undergone Transition in the distant past and the ‘lifesaving’ intervention in children with GD represents a disservice of great proportions
HOWEVER: While on the subject of child suicide there exists very real ongoing scenario in Australia that puts the GD suicide threat into perspective.
I reference a study titled:
‘Suicide in Indigenous youth: an unmitigated crisis’ Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, March 2019
• Key Finding: In Australia, in the first month of 2019 alone, five Aboriginal girls, aged 12–15 years, have taken their own lives and a 12-year-old boy is critically ill after attempting suicide. Australia indigenous children (aged 5–17 years) die from suicide at five times the rate of their non-Indigenous peers.
It is comforting to note the that the pre-parliamentary total work experience of our Federal Minister of Health was fifteen years as a Union Official, that's it!
Eriko, ground rules in politics include to never initiate an inquiry, unless the outcome is known. Who will be shocked if the NHMRC comes out against any medical intervention in minors expressing gender incongruity? The activists in the children’s hospitals gender clinics can likely rest easy from any challenge from the NHMRC though would love to be proven wrong. Shamefully any future protection for minors will not be coming from any medical professional institution or even well informed legislators but from legal retribution by way of class actions. The lawyers have plenty of evidence upon which to rely to finally extricate our profession’s feet off the ideological sticky paper of gender identity. The social sciences can speak for themselves but many of it’s members are kept quite from the same real threat of career retribution as have been our own young colleagues.
Butler’s counterpart in the U.K. , Wes Streeten’s strong criticism of administration of PBs , as a “ scandal” puts his opinion in lock step with the TERFs ,who openly challenge the negative impact of G.A.C. on potentially most such minors ultimately expressing as lesbian or gay adults in the absence of medical intervention.
His strong antithesis to hormonal intervention , as a gay individual, perhaps makes for understanding. How long can we expect his appointment to remain uncontested? He can’t be super popular with the Labor party’s activists and compliant supporters within their medical community.
Was anything else expected?
They wouldn’t want to upset their strongest supporters.
But where is Sussan Ley in all this? Too frightened to have an opinion let alone a strong one.
Even under Peter Dutton, the opposition showed little interest in the issue.
Agree and he was also probably cobbled by the brilliant election strategists employed by the Liberals.
It is in a sense a "no news" news story. But worth reporting because the option of restrictions was put to Butler in a high-profile context. Also, worth correcting the record after one news report misread Butler's comments as an expediting of the puberty blocker advice.
SUICIDE RATES APPEAR HIGHEST IN THOSE WHO UNDERGO GENDER TRANSITION
Australia’s centres of paediatric excellence believe that children diagnosed with gender dysphoria (GD) represent a serious suicide threat that frequently justifies Gender Transition (GT)
All this for a condition that, if left untreated, would spontaneously resolve (desist) in 80% of cases by the time the child had reached adolescence.
The long term outcome for those undergoing GT is well summarised in multiple studies. I reference very briefly from two (readily accessible on the internet):
‘Somatic Morbidity and Cause of Death in Denmark (1978–2010)’
• Key Finding: Among individuals who underwent GT, somatic morbidity increased from 19.1% pre-surgery to 23.2% post-surgery, with a mortality rate of 9.6%. The average age at death was 53.5 years.
'Transition as Treatment: The Best Studies Show the Worst Outcomes'
• Key Findings: Total mortality was 51% higher than in the general population, mainly from suicide, AIDS, CVS diseases, drug abuse and unknown causes
Given the well documented elevated suicide rate in those who had undergone GT 30, 40 and 50 years ago and the extremely rare suicide rate in children with gender dysphoria, it is probable that suicide occurs most commonly in those who have undergone Transition in the distant past and the ‘lifesaving’ intervention in children with GD represents a disservice of great proportions
HOWEVER: While on the subject of child suicide there exists very real ongoing scenario in Australia that puts the GD suicide threat into perspective.
I reference a study titled:
‘Suicide in Indigenous youth: an unmitigated crisis’ Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, March 2019
• Key Finding: In Australia, in the first month of 2019 alone, five Aboriginal girls, aged 12–15 years, have taken their own lives and a 12-year-old boy is critically ill after attempting suicide. Australia indigenous children (aged 5–17 years) die from suicide at five times the rate of their non-Indigenous peers.
Typical of the weakest MPs ever. Awful!
It is comforting to note the that the pre-parliamentary total work experience of our Federal Minister of Health was fifteen years as a Union Official, that's it!
An obviously very lazy one at that, if his off the cuff announcements about taking some present recipients of the NDIS largesse is anything to go by.
Such a weak and lazy health minister.
Do we know who is on the NHMRC expert committee? I fear it will be stacked with activists.
Not yet announced.
Eriko, ground rules in politics include to never initiate an inquiry, unless the outcome is known. Who will be shocked if the NHMRC comes out against any medical intervention in minors expressing gender incongruity? The activists in the children’s hospitals gender clinics can likely rest easy from any challenge from the NHMRC though would love to be proven wrong. Shamefully any future protection for minors will not be coming from any medical professional institution or even well informed legislators but from legal retribution by way of class actions. The lawyers have plenty of evidence upon which to rely to finally extricate our profession’s feet off the ideological sticky paper of gender identity. The social sciences can speak for themselves but many of it’s members are kept quite from the same real threat of career retribution as have been our own young colleagues.
Butler’s counterpart in the U.K. , Wes Streeten’s strong criticism of administration of PBs , as a “ scandal” puts his opinion in lock step with the TERFs ,who openly challenge the negative impact of G.A.C. on potentially most such minors ultimately expressing as lesbian or gay adults in the absence of medical intervention.
His strong antithesis to hormonal intervention , as a gay individual, perhaps makes for understanding. How long can we expect his appointment to remain uncontested? He can’t be super popular with the Labor party’s activists and compliant supporters within their medical community.
Yes, many Labour apparatchiks must be unhappy with him.
What a pathetic and weak response from Mark Butler.