Family Court judges have been urged to reassess legal frameworks governing cases of gender dysphoric children, or else risk contributing to the “worst medical scandal in 100 years.”
A legal paper, compiled by top Victorian family law barrister Belle Lane and delivered to judges of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia last month, argues fresh research into the effects of hormone treatments and puberty blockers on young Australians refutes older research touting a gender-affirming model of care.
In light of this, Ms Lane argues, the court must reassess how scientific advancements should apply to the family law system.
The paper documents in forensic detail a lack of clinical consensus on the concept of gender dysphoria, the diagnostic process or even whether a diagnosis is required to begin medical treatment, and the benefits, risks and outcome of the medical pathway.
It tracks the development of the Australian “standards of care” for the treatment of gender dysphoria, authored by prominent Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne pediatrician Michelle Telfer, as being based upon the so-called “gold standard” Dutch model which was based on an extraordinarily small sample of patients, which has now been critically reassessed in several countries, prompting greater safeguards for adolescents.
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It is interesting that the Dutch model is mentioned here, whereas the Netherlands was one of the first countries which went with the ideology about sex-choice until it showed that it created a lot of misery, so perhaps they were at least seeing the light, but they certainly did not ignore it because one of the major attitudes of Dutch ideas is that acceptance of diversity is always first!