A teenager on the autism spectrum, Fred, whose real name was withheld, was prescribed hormones by Planned Parenthood after a 30-minute consultation.
Planned Parenthood does not require an official letter or diagnosis of gender dysphoria to prescribe the drugs.
It also allows those 18 and older to skip the lines of gender clinics and instead rush the transition process.
Prior to visiting Planned Parenthood, Fred’s parents attempted to enroll him in the Gender and Autism Program at Children’s National Hospital, although the clinic said it had a waitlist of about a year.
Fred’s parents only learned about their son’s visit to Planned Parenthood when they received a message from CVS stating an estrogen prescription was in the works.
“It’s criminal what Planned Parenthoods all over the country are doing,” Fred’s mother, a pediatrician in New Jersey, said. “And most people have no idea this is happening.”
Fred’s parents then filed a complaint with New Jersey’s nursing and medical boards in July. According to the complaint, “The New Jersey State Medical Board has an obligation to protect children and young adults, especially those with special needs.”
“This type of shoddy (and irreversible) medical practice is a threat to all of them.”
A gender psychologist who worked to bring child-centered gender medicine to the United States expressed her concerns about Planned Parenthood’s actions.
“I have always been a very strong supporter of Planned Parenthood and am pro-choice,” said Laura Edwards-Leeper, co-founder of the nation’s first pediatric gender clinic. “But they have taken on something that they are not equipped to handle.”
Reporting from Free Beacon:
Even the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH), whose standards of care are among the most aggressive and controversial in the field, says "it is critical to differentiate gender incongruence" from autistic "obsessions" and "rigid thinking." Though the group does recommend an informed consent standard for people over 18, it also states that its guidelines for minors—which call for "comprehensive" evaluations by experts on autism and other disorders—are "often relevant" to young adults. "Some young adults are developmentally more like adolescents," Edwards-Leeper, who helped write the WPATH guidelines for minors, said. "Planned Parenthood really isn’t following the standard of care if they don’t take that into account."
