In an episode of Australian Story, Dr Michelle Telfer, head of the children’s gender clinic at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, makes a number of unverified claims about the effectiveness of transgender medicine for children. Australian Story: A Balancing Act (ABC TV) – 24 May 2021
She claims that puberty blockers are safe and reversible. The effects of puberty blockers include osteoporosis, cognitive delay, and infertility. These drugs are used to treat end-stage prostate cancer and to chemically castrate sex offenders. They are not available on PBS for blocking puberty. ABC does not include any warnings about these risks.
Dr Telfer states that if not given this treatment then young people will self-harm. There is no evidence that medicalising gender dysphoria impacts suicide rates. Depression and self-harm are known side effects of some medicines used to block puberty.
There is a growing number of people who desist and de-transition. The ABC does not give them a voice in this story.
Subsequenly, the Lancet Child and Health published an article urging caution on puberty blockers – 21 September 2021. The article highlights the poor qualities of studies leading to widespread use of puberty blockers, and the limited benefits observed in follow-up studies. A growing number of clinicians are urging caution on the use of puberty blockers.
The ABC failed to report on Bell v Tavistock – a landmark case in the UK where the High Court found that under 16 children cannot consent to puberty blockers. 1 December 2020 (Wikipedia)
ABC has made no report on these developments.