AUSTRALIAN DOCTORS CALL FOR A PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY INTO CHILDHOOD GENDER DYSPHORIA
STATEMENT ABOUT EARLY CLOSURE OF PETITION, Thursday 26/9/2019
As the six coordinators of the www.GenderInquiry.com website, we have suspended further medical signatories after a spam attack late last night. Prior to the attack, we had gathered 260 valid medical signatories in just three and a half days, including 20 professors or associate professors, 14 paediatricians , 20 psychiatrists including 9 child psychiatrists, and many other doctors with a shared concern about the epidemic of childhood gender dysphoria and the lack of scientific basis for its current treatment.
While we were gathering signatories ‘under the radar’ via medical networks, we could be assured of their validity. After the story was covered in The Australian yesterday and made an impact on social media, we were concerned that people might falsely claim to be doctors to compromise our list.
That occurred shortly before midnight last night (Wednesday 25/9) with a rush of signatories, some obviously fake while others took some cross-checking to establish as fake, and some still remain uncertain.
We cannot leave any possibility of false names being added to that list by those who want to compromise this serious expression of concern by Australian doctors, so we closed the page at midnight. We deeply regret that further medical practitioners will not be able to add their name to our list.
We had planned to leave subscriptions open for two weeks before sending the joint letter to the federal Health Minister, the Hon Greg Hunt. However, we will now bring forward the joint letter from 260 Australian doctors supporting Professor Whitehall’s proposed Parliamentary Inquiry into childhood gender dysphoria.
Thank you to medical colleagues for your support of this important proposal.
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UPDATE 26/9/19: Coverage of the site ‘sabotage’ in Daily Mail
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UPDATE 25/9/19 11.50pm: the site has been subject to an attack, subsequent to it being publicised in the media, and the signatory page is suspended until we can work out how to prevent this. Apologies – watch this space for developments.
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UPDATE 25/9/19: Article in The Australian – “Doctors back inquiry on kids’ trans care”
More than 200 doctors in three days have added their names to a medicos’ petition urging Health Minister Greg Hunt to call a wide-ranging parliamentary inquiry into risky medical treatment of young people who believe they were born in the wrong body.
The spokesman for the doctors’ letter, Rob Pollnitz, a retired paediatrician with 50 years’ experience, said he believed gender confusion in children and adolescents was chiefly a psychological issue, not biological.
“Before we give them unproven treatments with hormones and surgery, we ought to do our very best to sort out their psychological issues,” he said.
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UPDATE 22/9/19: 131 signatories on the first day. Thank you. Two weeks to go.
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ABOUT THIS SITE
This website provides a means for Australian doctors to support the call by professor of paediatrics and child health, John Whitehall, for a formal Parliamentary Inquiry into “the rapid rise of childhood gender dysphoria in Australia and the lack of scientific basis for current medical treatment.”
Over a two-week period, Sunday 22 September to Sunday 6 October 2019, doctors will be able to add their names to our joint letter of support for Professor Whitehall’s proposal, and the letter will then be sent to the federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt MP, before the next sitting of Parliament. Additional signatories after 6 October will be welcomed but not included.
We agree with Dr Whitehall, as stated in his letter to Minister Hunt of September 4th: “It seems that public policy and medical ‘best practice’ is being declared in haste without a sufficient foundation of fact and reflection, and a formal Parliamentary Inquiry could provide that foundation.”
We appreciate the Minister’s concern for the rapid escalation of childhood gender dysphoria, as evidenced by his referring the matter to the RACP for consideration, but we note Dr Whitehall’s observation that, “the RACP is ill-fitted for such an investigation. It is, after all, an organisation primarily dedicated to the education of physicians. Interpretation of ethical issues that transcend the activities of physicians and involve participatory social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists and surgeons are beyond its purview.”
The College has itself confirmed, in response to the Minister’s invitation, that “the RACP is primarily an educational institution and does not conduct inquiries”. The College also confirmed that it “strongly supports” the type of treatment guidelines published by the gender service at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, a commitment that seems to preclude rigorous critique of such guidelines.
Our joint letter appeals to the federal Health Minister to establish a Parliamentary Inquiry into this deeply troubling matter, where parents, teachers and lawyers as well as doctors and others may bring their concerns to our elected representatives for thorough consideration.
Thank you for joining us in supporting this proposal by Professor Whitehall.
Sunday, 22nd September 2019
COORDINATORS
Dr Rob Pollnitz, paediatrician, South Australia
Dr Georgios Liangas, child psychiatrist, NSW
Dr Chris Middleton, physician, Tasmania
Dr Con Kafataris, physician, NSW
Dr Lachlan Dunjey, GP, Western Australia
Dr David van Gend, GP, Queensland
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