politics

Risks of medical intervention always should be weighed against risks of nonintervention.

Agreed. I have expressed as much when discussing adverse effects.

If there is a significant probability a child is trans, delaying puberty may be the least intrusive option. There is a chance of negative effects, like with all medical interventions, but if they are most likely trans forcing them to undergo puberty is much more likely to have long term negative effects (including suicidality).

The first statement while correct is ignoring that if they are in fact trans there is a high likelihood of hormone therapy and/or surgery regardless. The statement about the psychological aspects is oft tied to discussions like these: They rarely factor in adolescents in general are an increased risk during this time. Funnily enough councilling and familial support are typically the strongest way to combat most cases which stem from isolation and fear/confusion.

Why is this specific medical decision equivalent to kids having sex? Do you view other procedures, like deciding to have braces, the same way? What about much riskier treatments with a muddled short/long term prognosis, like some heart surgeries?

edit: I misread the above and combined it with another discussion from a prior thread. sorry!

Ultimately because the choice can effect you later in life. This is one of the reasons we apply the gravity to it that we do. There are other parallels. In the end we acknowledge that a more developed mind can weigh those pros and cons and make a (more?) informed decision. I absolutely pushed this perspective to 11 to get a response but I firmly believe it is an acceptable equivalent in terms of weight of decision.

~~Hmm... Mostly because sexuality is tied to who we are. Does it determine every aspect of our existence? I'm not freud 😂. No. But it is undeniably a facet in our complex understanding of self~~.

Braces are an interesting choice; they have health benefits as well as effect our outward appearance. Surgeries (as I think I've expressed before) don't quite fall into this category but... If you have a low risk heart condition (relatively speaking) you could dive right in and get surgery (risks) or perhaps wait and do more research on it and become better informed. If anything it would support what I am advocating. (Yes I'm aware you can flip the argument the other way.) I think it's worth acknowledging that in that scenario that the latter decision is typically the recommended one.