More than 100 prominent Australians, including a former prime minister, politicians across the political divide and top doctors are calling for an urgent federal inquiry into youth gender medicine which they claim has become a national crisis.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has received a letter asking for an independent national inquiry into youth gender medicine and a pause on all medical ‘gender-affirmation’ treatments for children and young people across all states.
The letter, co-ordinated by Women’s Forum Australia in conjunction with medical and legal professionals including child psychiatrist Jillian Spencer, has attracted support from more than 40 doctors, academics, legal practitioners, MPs and advocates from across the political divide. These include Tony Abbott, John Anderson, Labor MP Greg Donnelly, Liberal Senator Claire Chandler, Libertarian MP David Limbrick, Professor Clive Hamilton, Associate Professor Holly Lawford-Smith, and Professor Emerita Bronwyn Winter.
Detransitioners Mel Jefferies, Courtney Coulson, and Jay Langadinos have also signed.
This comes after the LNP Queensland Government announced it would be pausing prescriptions of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to new patients under 18, pending an independent review into the evidence underpinning ‘gender-affirming’ care. This follows shocking revelations that a state-funded gender clinic was prescribing puberty blockers to children as young as 12 without proper medical assessments or parental consent.
Women’s Forum Australia chief executive Rachael Wong says Queensland is just one example of malpractice, and that there are serious concerns about “gender-affirming” practices across Australia, which are now out of line with international developments.