Why Europe and America Are Going in Opposite Directions on Youth Transgender Medicine

A growing number of countries, including some of the most progressive in Europe, are rejecting the U.S. “gender-affirming” model of care for transgender-identified youth. These countries have adopted a far more restrictive and cautious approach, one that prioritizes psychotherapy and reserves hormonal interventions for extreme cases.  

In stark contrast to groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, which urges clinicians to “affirm” their patient’s identity irrespective of circumstance and regards alternatives to an affirm-early/affirm-only approach “conversion therapy,” European health authorities are recommending exploratory therapy to discern why teens are rejecting their bodies and whether less invasive treatments may help.  

Continue reading the entire piece here at The Hill

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Leor Sapir is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute. 

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