Access to affirmative healthcare is in danger

Bills have been introduced in legislatures in more than a dozen states that would criminalize access to best-practice, evidence-based affirming healthcare for trans youth. It applies to those 18 and under in most states, but up to the age of 21 in two. (The above map shows states with these bills; orange states are active and purple states had bills that died.)

These bills have been constructed without discussion from leading medical professionals, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors or transgender kids, teens and adults.

These bills are not based on any accurate medical research and did not come as a result of speaking to the thousands of parents who have transgender children.

Most parents of trans youth had little understanding of what it means to be transgender before our children told us who they are or had already endured years of silently struggling on their own. Parents like me spend countless hours lying awake at night, worried and scared for our kids. We read and re-read and research every piece of information we can get our hands on. We take them to therapists and doctors. We don’t decide on a whim to rush them through a transition — social or medical.

We constantly worry for our children and their future. We don’t take any decision about their health care lightly; in fact we tend to agonize over every decision that we are forced to make because the clock around puberty keeps ticking. We lie awake in our beds at night, praying we are doing the right thing and thoughtfully and carefully weighing the pros and cons of EVERY. SINGLE. OPTION.

These legislators haven’t been in our homes, haven’t seen our children’s stress and anguish, haven’t witnessed the tears, haven’t felt the fears, and clearly haven’t done the research we have.

A landmark study published by “Pediatrics” found that if trans teens have access to puberty blockers, their chance of mental health struggles significantly declines. These bills want to take access to blockers away, effectively taking away the potential for improved mental health and hope about the future.

The health care providers who treat our children, who get to know them through multiple visits — sometimes for years before there is any medical intervention needed — have all sworn an oath to “do no harm.” Legislator haven’t done the same.

These bills don’t protect children, but they will interfere with the decisions that parents, teens, and doctors can make about life-saving medical care.

Lawmakers should stay out of the exam room and let doctors — the actual experts on trans youth — help our kids make correct decisions for themselves.