Phoenix, Ariz. – September 9, 2023 – At the Catholic Medical Association’s 92nd Annual Educational Conference in Phoenix Arizona, CMA released its anticipated position paper, The Ideology of Gender Harms Children, in the presence of more than 700 attendees.
“Reviewing the evidence for purported treatments for gender dysphoria over the past year, we found the American medical establishment speaking from a place of eminence-based medicine rather than evidence-based medicine,” said CMA President Dr. Craig Treptow. “The ideology of gender is causing significant harm to children and adolescents. We speak up again now to prevent further harm to those children and to give courage to those who are looking for a voice in medicine.”
Agreeing with the findings of countries such as Great Britain, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and France –– once leaders in the gender ideology movement who have now changed course –– CMA believes that this attempt to address surgically and with hormones what should be treated psychiatrically with counseling is not authentic health care.
“The paper confirms the irrefutable reality of human biology, and contrasts with current cultural trends that ignore that reality,” said Ethics Committee Co-Chair Dr. Greg Burke, the committee that formulated the position paper. “CMA’s position offers a much more hopeful and loving approach to children suffering from gender dysphoria.”
Further, CMA rejects the claim that children with gender dysphoria will commit suicide if they are not quickly affirmed and set on the path of sex reassignment. This simplistic assertion is not scientifically supported. Numerous other evidence-based treatment modalities are equally if not more effective, especially considering the documented comorbidities that can exist for these children.
“Such health-affirming treatments do not permanently mutilate a precious young human person,” said Ethics Committee Co-Chair Marie Hilliard, PhD, RN. “Gender affirming care is not health-affirming care, and no health care professional, committed to the Hippocratic first principle ‘to do no harm,’ should be forced to violate this sacred oath.”
CMA calls on other medical associations that promote the practice of sex reassignment of children with gender dysphoria to reverse their decision. Additionally, CMA calls for the protection of conscience rights for physicians and health care professionals who wish to promote the best interest of their patients. As with all conflicts in medical ethics, the well-formed conscience of a clinician should never be coerced to violate the clinician’s medical and moral judgement in the care of a patient.
Read the position paper here.
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