Friday, August 30, 2019

Gender-change clinic for children as young as 3 seeks to grow reach with Skype, FaceTime


Doctors could diagnose and prescribe treatment, including hormone-blocking drugs, over the phone



The directors of the Gender Identity Development Service -- a London-based clinic that helps children as young as three years old change gender -- want to be able to use Skype and FaceTime to "allow doctors to diagnose and prescribe treatment for patients hundreds or thousands of miles away," according to the Daily Mail.
The clinic, which is run by the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS), is considering the move to 'telemedical' appointments in an effort to keep up with the "more than 400 percent" increase in demand for sex-change services since 2014. If approved, the plan would allow doctors to diagnose and prescribe treatment, including hormone-blocking drugs, over the phone.
The Daily Mail reported that critics question the plausibility of accurately evaluating a child's "suitability for treatment" over the phone. But on Wednesday's "Dear America," Graham Allen argued that the bigger issue is whether young children should be considered for such radical treatment at all.

"You have to be at least 16, with parental consent, to get a tattoo," Graham pointed out. "But at three years old, you can frickin' decide which gender you want to be? Are you kidding me?"
Catch the conversation, which starts at 41:15 in the video below, or enjoy the full episode:

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