Let me introduce you to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Like other powerful health authorities, they refuse to inform women of the lifelong increased risk of breast cancer for anyone who has ever taken the pill. It seems that the “benefits” of barrenness trump even the power of pink ribbons. That’s not all: America’s most powerful pediatric voice is also refusing to inform young women of the mental health risks of hormonal contraception, even as we are living through an unprecedented teen mental health crisis, with depression and suicides rising.
The link between hormonal contraception and depression — and even a threefold higher suicide rate — is not new to The Federalist’s readers, nor to countless women around the world, nor to anyone familiar with the massive European studies involved. Do the nation’s pediatricians counsel their families that starting birth control might contribute to depression and even suicide? No. The AAP’s contraception “explainer,” aimed at parents and children, highlights “improved acne” but does not include a word about depression. Similarly, the AAP’s official policy statement on contraception, designed to help guide clinical practice, stays mum on mental health — though does once again highlight that acne-fighting power!
Interestingly, elsewhere in the AAP’s work, the focus on depression seems almost parodically exaggerated. Last year’s policy statement on “The Adolescent’s Right to Confidential Care When Considering Abortion” reveals that the official stance of America’s pediatricians is to advocate for early access to abortion in order to reduce depression — and, what’s more, to keep those abortions secret because informing parents may pose “psychological harm” to the teenager. The statement puts the AAP firmly in the mainstream of modern medical practice, where it is commonplace to argue that we must increase abortion in order to prevent suicide.
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