Tell the American Academy of Pediatrics to drop the “Affirmative Care Model”
Despite its stated dedication to “the health of all children,” the AAP is leading the sterilization of a generation.
The Disastrous “Affirmative Care Model”
In 2018, The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) adopted the “affirmative care model” based on a paper full of numerous falsehoods and not peer-reviewed.
It has been used to justify the removal of healthy breasts of girls as young as 13 and the testicles of boys as young as 16.
It supports placing children on puberty blockers with drugs that are not FDA-approved.
It permits doctors to ignore companion mental health issues and fast-track them to medicalization without addressing underlying causes.
It ignores studies finding that prepubescent children outgrow their belief that they have a gender identity.
Ideally, science should work as a process free from society’s biases. When an experiment is performed to test a hypothesis, the aim should be to determine whether the results support that hypothesis, not to assert that the hypothesis is correct no matter what. This is not what is happening here.
Under the influence of ideologues, the AAP has bowed to social pressure compelling them to accept what gender activists say without question, which stands in the way of legitimate scientific inquiry. Now some of the most vulnerable members of society, children, are at risk.
It’s time to stand together for their sake. Luckily, alternatives have been proposed to ensure at-risk children get the help they need. In October 2022, the UK’s National Health Service replaced its “affirmative model” with new specifications. The new model:
Utilizes a comprehensive mental health assessment led by a team of pediatric, autism, neurodiversity, and mental health experts.
Discourages social transition in prepubertal children and notes that evidence demonstrates that in most cases, gender incongruence resolves with puberty.
Makes clear that biological sex takes precedence.
No more children should suffer and experience horrific regret. It’s time to change course.
WoLF is partnering with Our Duty, a group of parents and supporters who know the harms of medicalizing young people who claim to have “gender identities.” Together, we urge the American Academy of Pediatrics to conduct an independent, systematic review of the science and adopt evidence-based protocols as done in the UK, Sweden, and Finland.
WoLF is a radical feminist agency that opposes the medicalization of children, especially female children and adolescents. We are active and outspoken in using policy advocacy to drive real change in the lives of those affected. Most recently, we submitted testimony in support of “Help Not Harm” bills in Missouri.
In 2021, we critiqued WPATH’s irresponsible promotion of child medicalization, and we continue to closely document WPATH’s continued reckless behavior. We also submitted an amicus brief in the Eighth Circuit Court in support of the Arkansas SAFE Act.
In 2022, we submitted testimony to protect children in Tennessee and Ohio. We provided guidance to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) about the negative health impacts of unnecessary medical interventions on children and adults, and we submitted comments to the US Department of Health and Human Services, expressing our concern about public funds being used to pay for harmful medical interventions.
As part of our 2022 strategy to protect women and girls at the federal level, we urged federal leaders to protect children through the passage of the Protect Minors from Medical Malpractice Act (HR8171).
You can also share your story by emailing media@womensliberationfront.org and Charlie.jacobs@protonmail.com. With your permission, your story will be shared as a WoLF Letter from the Front. You can learn more about our Letters from the Front initiative here.