Kesiah Beere:
Across Canada, medical and political organizations have sought unwavering support for gender changes through the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapies and surgical procedures, including for minors. This message, upheld by many Canadian media outlets, “has left the public with the false impression that such treatments are safe, effective, and universally accepted by physicians,” according to a statement originally signed by 14 physicians published in Inside Policy, a publication of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
On May 1, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) released a report on “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria.” Shocking many North Americans, the USDHHS presented evidence implying that Canada’s approach to addressing gender dysphoria is “deeply flawed.” Consistent with the USDHHS’s findings is Dr. Hilary Cass’s research on the use of medical interventions as a response to gender dysphoria published in the United Kingdom in 2024.
The Inside Policy authors, in “Gender-Affirming Care: The Physicians’ Majority View Is Not as Conclusive as It May Seem,” reiterate that her conclusion holds “that although medical treatments for gender dysphoria can cause significant harm… there is no conclusive proof of benefit.”
Various Canadian medical organizations, including the Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS) and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), have criticized attempts to restrict gender-affirming care in Alberta, led by Premier Danielle Smith. The Inside Policy authors explain that legislation, enacted in 2024, implemented a minimum age requirement (18) for minors to consent to gender-altering treatments.
In response, media outlets like the CBC and Globe and Mail claimed that Alberta’s legislation would put minors at risk of greater harm if unable to access gender-affirming treatments. These ideas primarily originated from medical bodies, including the CPS and CMA, that are believed to represent the majority views of Canadian physicians.
Conversely, the authors suggest that some of these medical organizations “seek minimal engagement from members.” Rather, physicians bringing “conservative and scientifically-based views” are frequently “met with indifference or hostility.”
As many of Canada’s largest media outlets cite specialty groups such as the CPS and CMA, the authors state, “they miss the real story and avoid engaging with facts.” Medical philosophies are restated without consideration of conflicting evidence.
Further, the echoing of perspectives surrounding gender dysphoria and gender-affirming therapies in minors has silenced physicians with dissenting beliefs. The Inside Policy authors note that “physicians who speak out have been subject to investigations and penalties by regulatory organizations.”
Authors of the Inside Policy article assert that the treatment of gender dysphoria requires much further study, but one thing is for certain: “it is not ‘life-saving’, but it is permanently ‘life-altering’.”
The following physicians signed the article: Arney Lange, Brent McGrath, Chris Millburn, David Zitner, Dion Davidson, Duncan Veasey, Julie Curwin, Lori Regenstreif, Mark D’Souza, Martha Fulford, M.J. Ackermann, Richard Gibson, Roy Eappen, Shawn Whatley.
