health
Democrats are a global outlier on gender medicine for minors
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TL;DR
- Singapore has prohibited hormonal or surgical treatments for individuals under 18, with restrictions also applying to those over 18.
- The UK's National Health Service has stopped routinely prescribing puberty blockers to children and recommended against cross-sex hormones for those under 16, with legislation later banning puberty blockers.
- Sweden and Finland have banned or heavily restricted hormone therapy for minors, prioritizing psychotherapy.
- Norway's national guideline recommends against gender confirmation surgery for children under 18.
- Chile's Chamber of Deputies recommended banning hormone treatments for children and called for audits and potential criminal action against doctors.
- Brazil's Federal Council of Medicine banned hormone blockers for minors under 18 and raised the minimum age for cross-sex hormones to 18, with surgeries only permitted for those over 21.
- Japan and South Korea restrict legal gender changes for those under 18 and 19, respectively, and have historically had standards to prevent transitions for parents of minor children.
- Puerto Rico banned cross-sex hormones and surgeries for individuals under 21, imposing fines and prison sentences for violations.
- In contrast, Democratic-led states like New Jersey and California are enacting policies to protect and facilitate gender transition treatments for minors.