Dr. Phillip McGraw, an author and TV psychologist not known for advancing conservative views, told podcast king Joe Rogan he very much opposed performing gender transition surgeries on minors.
Decrying the practice as “social contagion,” Dr. Phil slammed physicians and organizations that have set aside their do-no-harm policy in favor of lucrative initiatives endorsed by the Progressive Left.
The psychologist also criticized the now common practice of giving children “hormonal therapy.”
Dr. Phil, 73, said he was “shocked” America’s pediatric group endorsed gender transition treatments, noting that many countries across Europe restrict them due to potential negative long-term ramifications.
“It’s interesting,” said Dr. Phil. “They choose words like gender-affirming care. That’s interesting that they call it that, but really what they’re talking about is hormonal therapy or sex reassignment surgery on children.”
In an emotional exchange with Rogan, Dr. Phil said, “When I ask about that… then they immediately label you as transphobic…look at the long-term consequences.
Dr. Phil noted that children are not well positioned to make decisions with the long view in mind. “[A child may change] their mind at 10, 11, 12, 13 years old… [because] they can’t decide which pajamas they wanna wear at night.”
Arguing against the prevailing rationale for gender assignment treatment, Dr. Phil said, “Their reason for doing it is it stops this drive for suicide. That there’s a suicide epidemic. [But gender reassignment surgery] doesn’t fix that.”
The Daily Mail reported that “roughly 3,600 children as young as 12 received gender-affirming surgery between 2016 and 2020 in the US – which includes breast removal, [and] genital reassignments…”
JUST IN: Dr. Phil calls out gender affirming care and warns of the long term impacts of pushing transgenderism on children.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 20, 2024
America needs more of this Dr. Phil.
“It's interesting. They choose words like, gender affirming care. That's interesting that they call it that. But… pic.twitter.com/dFRSRwA9w9
The American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE) recommends hormone therapy for adolescent patients with misaligned gender identity for more than six months who have undergone mental health counseling and “have the capacity to make medical decisions.”
Dr Phil argued that children do not have the capacity to make important, often irreversible, medical decisions, and that by “rushing children into hormone therapy or gender reassignment surgery, doctors were causing the youths harm.”
Dr Phil added: “I thought the deal was first do no harm. We cannot say in good conscience that this does no harm because it does [do] harm.”
Many have suggested the recent spike in gender dysphoria diagnoses is due to social encouragement and modeling, a drive for attention and acceptance, and institutional financial gain.
A 2022 Kimodo Health report found the number of gender dysphoria diagnoses among patients 6 to 17 years old nearly tripled between 2017 and 2021, rising from 15,170 to 42,160.
