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Changing a Child's Gender With Hormones

May 29 06:15am

Would you allow your child to choose to be a man or a woman?

A hospital in Boston might be doing just that. Doctors at the Children's Hospital in Boston are performing hormone-blocking treatments on young boys and girls who are struggling with gender identity. These hormone treatments block the onslaught of puberty, allowing the children to reach maturity before deciding whether or not they want to undergo a sex change. These treatments do not actually constitute a sex change, rather they give patients more time to decide whether or not they want to transition to the opposite sex.

However, the idea that children of 8 or 9 years old do not already have a definite gender identity might be flawed. Research shows that children have firmly set gender identity by as early as age 3, so in fact, these adolescents probably already know whether or not they feel "trapped" in the wrong gender's body. Furthermore, there has not been a tremendous amount of research on the long-term effects of hormone treatments on children, and these decisions could potentially affect everything from a child's future fertility to their physical health.

The good news about these treatments is that more people are beginning to understand that gender identity is fluid. Despite our society's rigid definitions of gender, the truth is that gender is flexible and transient. Treatments such as these help society embrace sexual freedom and self-expression. Even so, it might behoove us to wait before treating children with potentially life-changing hormones.

After all, if this country makes adolescents wait until they are 18 years old to vote, shouldn't we also have them wait until they are 18 to make significant decisions about their bodies?

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110 Comments Report Abuse

11. janet_havel - May 29 10:39pm

let's leave god out of this. that is the most ridiculous thing i've ever heard "if god wanted it this way he'd do it" whatever. if god hates homosexuals and muslims, why'd he make them? why do bad things happen to good people? why did go put malaria, AIDS, and cancer on this earth?
you know nothing about god. shut up.

12. isabelle_raulin_daymeries - May 29 11:06pm

If God would have wanted all males to become men, and all females to become women, there are an awful lot of plants and herbs He would not have created. Amen.

13. ponylover16@att.net - May 30 10:10am

That's just stupid. And then again....OK, so people have trouble with who they are because they feel they are "trapped". Fine. Get a councilor then. Just because you feel like you're a girl trapped in a guy's body doesn't really mean you are- your feminism is just unbalanced, in my opinion. Seek help then, people. And the whole world does sick things- ALL THE TIME. But do many people do much about it? Not really. Do many care that much? Not really- if we all cared about stuff like this ALL OF US would act on it. Simply, everyone can do whatever they want. Not my problem if some people are homosexuals or bi or whatnot. And OK, a lot of people think it's the way God wants it. That's ok with me- all of us have different opinions. I personally think that if God gave us a WAY to DO something about changing genders, then didn't he MEAN for it to happen? Because if you're born something but you're not happy with it- well, if we have the WAY to change something, then isn't it SUPPOSED to be that way? Hadn't God WANTED us to find that way to do so? It's just my opinion. And yet, it has it's negatives and positives like anything- people benefit and yet, there's still something wrong with it. But think about it- for someone who NEEDS it, would it be good for them? And for people who DON'T need it, what do you think thier reasoning is? All of us usually have a say in such things, but sometimes if there's not enough people to act on it there won't be a huge impact on it at all. There's A LOT of views on this one.

14. jeanav1565 - May 30 01:45pm

How sick! How could a parent make that decision for their child? You can't say the child wants it. Children dont know what they want. One day they want to be a doctor the next a unicorn. You name it one kid or another want to be it. So should we go along and change all of our kids. Just remember next week they may change their mind and want to be something else.

15. zahidfc_mk - May 30 02:58pm

i think we should not change any natural fact/reality cz there are side affects seen later

16. patzanger - May 30 03:52pm

I find the posts here MUCH more informative (even the "rants"!) than the article which spawned them. More facts are always appreciated -- and essential, especially on a subject such as this.

17. luther.keal - May 30 11:14pm

you're a real sicko.

18. birdsboy_2000 - May 31 04:30am

The article uses the term flawed reasoning. Actually the flaw is theirs. What should be obvious is that if you have the body and parts of a male or female, that is what you are. Though it might be easier to cut and paste the body than adjust faulty socialization, psycho therapy should be the way to go, not the cut and paste which really does not change who you are it just changes one cosmetically. In Catholic moral theology the changing of one's body constitutes doing violence to what God has created. Proponents of sex change surgery just further complicate an already complicated situation.

19. kencatkayken - May 31 10:30am

All of you who agree that children should be give hormones to stop puberty are sick. If someone is going to decide to be a different gender then what they are born, then they should make that decision as an adult. Half of the time adults don't know what they want, what do you think about children. They haven't experienced enough or know enough about life to make such a decision. Yes the is definetly a wack job & those who agree are just as wacky.

20. katielee888 - May 31 04:37pm

Ok, now I know a 50 year old man who is trying to decide what gender he is. He is married and he and his wife not to mention his family are in a lot of conflict. But he was born with both male and female parts. I strongly object to the idea that you are encouraging people to make it up as they go along based on the idea that someone is "trapped" in their body. What about all the health classes where we learned to identify the difference between a penis and a vagina? That doesn't matter any more? COME ON!!! People let's get real. What are we doing to ourselves? Even if I could 100% agree with this (not) has anybody thought of the repercussions of all these hormones and what potential harm this could do to unborn, (even unthought of) eggs, sperm, fetus, etc?
Never mind dragging the biblical stand point of view into it. (Yes biblical, this country was founded on Christianity wasn't it? In God we trust?) What about the words from the bible, Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart. God decided our gender, who are we to change that? Hey I'm all for trying to decide real gender conflicts in cases where someone if "born" both.