Lauren McNamara, a well-known transgender activist known by followers as “Zinnia Jones,” made the argument that all children should be given puberty blockers until they are old enough to confirm their chosen gender identity.
According to the Washington Examiner, Jones argued her case earlier this month in a series of posts on Twitter.
“If children can't consent to puberty blockers which pause any permanent changes even with the relevant professional evaluation, how can they consent to the permanent and irreversible changes that come with their own puberty with no professional evaluation whatsoever?” Jones asked.
“This is literally a position that permanent changes are fine as long as you're not trans,” the trans activist continued. “An inability to offer informed consent or understand the long-term consequences is actually an argument for putting every single cis and trans person on puberty blockers until they acquire that ability.”
Jones, who is also a Youtuber, explained on her blog, “Gender Analysis,” that she has “been transitioning for the past five years” which has required her “to learn a lot about a variety of transgender-related subjects.”
Jones’ comments were made after the United Kingdom Supreme Court ruled that children under 16 years old are unlikely unable to provide “informed consent” regarding puberty blockers.
The court case involved 23-year-old Keira Bell, a biological female, who sued the British National Health Service's Gender Identity Development Service for Children and Adolescents for giving her puberty blockers when she was 16. Bell has since regretted her decision to transition, asserting that she was too young at the time to transition.
She also contended that the clinic’s medical staff did not “challenge” her enough before making the transition, BBC News reports.
The UK Supreme Court ruled that “There will be enormous difficulties in a child under 16 understanding and weighing up this information and deciding whether to consent to the use of puberty-blocking medication.”
The ruling continued, “It is highly unlikely that a child aged 13 or under would be competent to give consent to the administration of puberty blockers. It is doubtful that a child aged 14 or 15 could understand and weigh the long-term risks and consequences of the administration of puberty blockers.”
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Nito100
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
