In a startling revelation, two young participants of a taxpayer-funded transgender hormone study have taken their lives. The study, aimed at analyzing the psychosocial impact of hormone therapy on transgender and nonbinary youth, has been under severe criticism from Republican lawmakers, who question its ethical implications.
The five-year study, awarded nearly $478,000 by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), involved three prominent health institutions: the Boston Children’s Hospital, the University of California at San Francisco, and the Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, under the leadership of Dr. Diane Chen.
Two Youths Commit Suicide in Taxpayer-Funded Cross-Sex Hormone Study
Lawmakers seek answers on what they call transgender 'experiments'https://t.co/VBygszkjJQ— Robert W Malone, MD (@RWMaloneMD) May 11, 2023
The lawmakers’ concerns revolve around the study’s unintended outcomes, namely the tragic loss of two lives and reports of suicidal ideation from 11 participants. Yet, despite these alarming developments, the study was not halted. Instead, the researchers published their paper, calling it a “success” due to the subjects’ physical alterations and improved psychosocial functioning.
However, the study’s conclusion starkly contrasts the tragic loss of life and the physical harm suffered by the participants. “It is alarming that vulnerable young people died by suicide while participating in a taxpayer-funded study that will almost certainly inflict devastating physical harm on those who participated,” the lawmakers stated in a letter to the NIH.
An additional cause for concern, highlighted by the lawmakers, was the potential long-term health risks of the study’s participants. They noted that the young participants who received cross-sex hormones post-puberty suppression were likely sterile. The study also increases the risk of increased cardiovascular diseases and blood clotting among the participants.
The letter further criticized the study for lacking a control group, which is critical in establishing the causality between the administration of cross-sex hormones and improved psychosocial functioning.
Critics, including the medical watchdog group “Do No Harm,” have slammed the study as “fatally flawed and borderline unscientific.” They claim the study, instead of providing clarity, has muddled the discourse around the medical transition of children.
The lawmakers also raised concerns about the researchers involved in the study, some known advocates for gender transition interventions for children. This, they believe, could potentially skew the objectivity of the research.
Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK) said, “It is sickening that the federal government is preying on young people and using our taxpayer dollars to advance its radical gender ideology.”
Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) echoed similar sentiments: “Taxpayer dollars should not be used to fund studies that encourage gender transition interventions on young people.”
The lawmakers’ letter ends with a demand for responses to a series of questions by June 9. Their questions seek detailed insights into the events that unfolded during the study, specifically focusing on the two tragic losses and measures taken to review the study post the incidents.
While pursuing scientific knowledge is undoubtedly necessary, it should never come at the cost of human lives, particularly those of vulnerable youth. These findings remind us that we must tread carefully regarding medical interventions for young people grappling with their gender identity. The call for answers by lawmakers is a step in the right direction toward ensuring that federally funded research upholds the highest ethical standards.
