Summary:
Text discusses medical concerns related to gender affirmative care. Dr. Michael K. Laidlaw, a board-certified endocrinologist, states that gender-affirming therapy can cause permanent damage to minors, such as future infertility, increased risk of heart disease and cancer, bone disease and death. In his professional opinion, no child or adolescent should receive puberty blockers to block normal puberty, nor should they receive over-physiological doses of hormones of the opposite sex in an attempt to alter secondary sexual characteristics, nor should they undergo surgeries to remove or alter breasts, genitalia or reproductive tracts as part of gender affirmative therapy. The text also mentions that most young people develop from gender dysphoria, and that gender-affirmative therapy is associated with a high rate of suicides and negative mental health consequences. Puberty blockers can also lead to sterilization. Finally, the text describes the risks and complications of surgeries, such as extensive scarring during mastectomy.