On June 6th, the American College of Pediatricians issued the Doctors Protecting Children Declaration. This declaration has been co-signed by numerous other medical and advocacy groups and individual professionals who are concerned about the treatment protocols now being followed in the United States for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria.
Commonly known as “Gender affirming therapy,” these interventions — including social affirmation with the use of preferred pronouns and cross-dressing, puberty-blocking and cross-sex hormones and even life-altering surgeries — have been considered the “Standard of Care” for treatment of this small but ever-growing number of youth for decades.
Unfortunately, such “treatments” are based on minimal scientific evidence and to date have not been shown to produce the hoped-for results of decreased dysphoria or the suicidal ideation that often accompanies it.
In April of this year, Dr. Hillary Cass presented the results of her thorough investigation on behalf of the National Health Service in England and came to the conclusion that it was not in the best interest of these patients to continue these therapies.
In fact, the largest gender clinic in England addressing this problem — Tavistock Institute — has been closed. This follows on the heels of other countries such as Sweden, Finland, Scotland and Denmark, which had reached the same or a similar conclusion: the evidence does not justify continuing with such treatments in children and adolescents.
In fact, addressing the frequently underlying mental health problems that exist in most of these children — including depression, anxiety or autism — should be the top priority.
We are calling on the major organizations influencing pediatric care in this country — such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, The Endocrine Society, The Pediatric Endocrine Society and the American Medical Association — to likewise follow the evidence (or, in this case, the lack thereof) and discontinue endorsing and recommending Gender Affirming therapy.
Many state legislatures in this nation — including our own here in Mississippi — have been forced to pass legislation protecting minors from some of the more aggressive and harmful treatments currently being employed. The courts are also beginning to play a part as numerous “de-transitioners” begin to realize the harms that were inflicted on them as minors who were too young to give properly informed consent.
In the end, however, we need organized medicine to do the right thing and take the lead in this effort. We hope this declaration helps to move things in the right direction. Please sign on at DoctorsProtectingChildren .org to learn more about this condition. The most up-to-date information available regarding treatment, legal and legislative efforts are at BiologicalIntegrity.org.
— Mike Artigues, M.D., FCP
President, American College of Pediatricians
Excellent customer service
After several less-than-good customer service instances from several businesses, I had begun to think that excellent customer service did not exist. However, after an experience my wife and I had recently, I now know otherwise.
The Tuesday before Memorial Day, our refrigerator conked out. We tried to purchase one from a Big Box store but were unsuccessful due to the peculiar size requirement because of our kitchen configuration.
We went to Southern Appliance Repair after learning that neither they nor anyone else in the area would work on an LG refrigerator. We knew they also sold appliances. This is where we met the nicest people!
The salesperson, Deborah Meranto, tried to find a refrigerator that would work for us. This is when the excellent customer service began.
Even after sending out their deliverymen to measure and try to install one she had on hand, it did not work. She then ordered a refrigerator for us that would fit our kitchen, and because it would take over a week for delivery, she loaned us one to use, at no cost, until the new one arrived.
And when the deliverymen had trouble setting up the new refrigerator, she sent owner Landee Lott to correct the problem. He even changed a water faucet to ensure the ice maker worked properly
We will forever be grateful for the excellent service we received from everyone at Southern Appliance Repair.
— Emory and Eula Jones, Summit
