Major
Bioethics
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
The purpose of our study is to investigate the suppression of puberty for transgender teens. We will examine current and developing treatments, ethical limitations, and the overarching questions that cause hesitation in healthcare providers. Many of the issues faced by these children stem from their age, and thus their ability to make rational decisions for themselves. Proposals against treatment can create psychosocial developmental issues in teens and increase developing gender dysphoria; the psychological distress that results from the inability to align one’s assigned sex with their new gender identity. But fears of regretful decision-making leads to the question of what is more ethical, the postponement of treatment due to lack of self-awareness, or the alleviation of suffering with the risk of reversal.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Dawn M. Franks, PhD, Biology ; Jennifer Parks, PhD, Philosophy
Streaming Media
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Suppression of Puberty in Transgender Teens
The purpose of our study is to investigate the suppression of puberty for transgender teens. We will examine current and developing treatments, ethical limitations, and the overarching questions that cause hesitation in healthcare providers. Many of the issues faced by these children stem from their age, and thus their ability to make rational decisions for themselves. Proposals against treatment can create psychosocial developmental issues in teens and increase developing gender dysphoria; the psychological distress that results from the inability to align one’s assigned sex with their new gender identity. But fears of regretful decision-making leads to the question of what is more ethical, the postponement of treatment due to lack of self-awareness, or the alleviation of suffering with the risk of reversal.