New Report Finds U.S. More Lenient on Child Sex Changes Than European Countries

The U.S. has more lenient policies on chemical and surgical sex change services for children than any European country, according to a new report.

A new policy review by medical watchdog group, Do No Harm, found that the United States utilizes the least amount of child safeguarding pertaining to medical transition services when compared with 11 European countries.

“Overall, our policy review reveals the United States is the most permissive country when it comes to the legal and medical gender transition of children,” the report concluded.

The study analyzed the laws of European nations and concluded that the United States provides greater legal and medical access to gender transition services for children, such as gender clinics, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries, in some cases without parental consent.

In the United States, the majority of states have laws that necessitate the consent of a parent or guardian before puberty blockers can be prescribed to children, starting as young as eight years old. However, Oregon is an exception as it allows anyone 15 or older to access puberty blockers without the need for parental consent.

The study highlights that in many European countries, puberty blockers are not available without parental consent until the age of 18. However, with parental consent, they can be obtained at 16 years old. In contrast, Sweden permits access to puberty blockers with consent at the age of 12, Finland at 13, while Denmark and Ireland allow it at 15.

The review of 11 progressive Western and Northern European nations reveals that they almost entirely restrict the use of cross-sex hormones until age 16, following psychotherapy sessions. In contrast, children in America can receive cross-sex hormones at the age of 13, or even younger in clinical trials.

European countries do not permit surgeries for minors without parental consent due to the policies set by the national health care systems in place. According to the review, every Western and Northern European country except for one prohibits gender-related surgeries for minors until they reach the age of 16 or, more commonly, 18. The United States has documented cases of minors as young as 12 receiving surgeries to remove their breasts.

In contrast to Europe, where there are only one to three clinics for trans-identified youth, the U.S. has an excess, with over 60 pediatric gender clinics and at least 300 other clinics or medical offices providing chemical and surgical sex change treatments to minors.

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