You and your son are discussing treatment to change your son’s sex with the doctor. The doctor says a psychologist talked to your son and recommends starting him on hormone blockers as the next step. This would keep your son from developing as a man. The doctor says the hormone blocking treatment is reversible. (To the contrary, see my DMR op-ed Mar 19, ’23). You have your doubts, but the doctor says it is safe. What the doctor doesn’t tell you is that once your child is on the hormone track this treatment leads to sex change surgery in 85% of cases.

A year of two later, the doctor recommends sex change surgery for your son consisting of castration and the inability to father children. You are not sure about agreeing to such a permanent and radical change in your child. You ask why not wait until Johnny, now Joanna, is older and of legal age? The surgeon sadly shakes his or her head and says that studies show that if Joanna doesn’t have surgery she will be as much as 50% more likely to commit suicide.

Well, you love your child and know that he or she has been mentally troubled, and you don’t want her to kill herself. You especially don’t want to be responsible by refusing to go along. This is a frightening choice and meant to be, but what do you know! You are not a doctor. After all, the doctors are specialists, and you don’t have the medical knowledge to challenge this. Thus, Joanna has her testicles removed, probably also her penis, has breast implants, and continues taking feminizing hormones. She will live with this for the rest of her life.

What a choice! Either get your child castrated or they will kill themselves. But is it true?