Sweden hits reverse on "gender affirming care"

Sweden’s national board of health just updated its guidelines on the care of children with gender dysphoria, and “caution” is its new watchword. It declares that extended psychosocial explorations are key. …

This recommendation makes clear that, despite the caterwauling of gender-ideology warriors, there is no general scientific agreement — much less certainty — on how to best care for children with gender dysphoria, nor is there currently the depth of knowledge or the kind of systematically collected evidence required to assume that certainty. The recent spike in cases warrants an investigation as it may indicate a social contagion, akin to how youth suicide can sometimes proliferate.

It is most unfortunate that our government and most social-media platforms continue to stifle these important discussions — just as they did, with catastrophic results, during the Covid pandemic. What is really needed now is not the suppression of opinions but open and robust debate in the medical community and among the public as to how we might best treat children for what might be an essentially psychological condition. The Swedes have outlined the proper scientific approach to this most delicate and controversial question.