In a perfect example of how medicine has become politicized, Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, a prominent advocate of adolescent gender treatments, has delayed publishing a highly anticipated study on the effects of puberty blockers due to concerns over the politically charged atmosphere in the United States, according to a new report from The New York Times.
She blamed funding cuts from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which she attributes to the political climate, as contributing to the delays.
The study, initiated in 2015, is part of a multi-million dollar federal project focused on transgender youth, which aims to assess the mental health impact of puberty-blocking drugs on children with gender dysphoria. Despite the significant attention surrounding the study, Dr. Olson-Kennedy has yet to release its findings, citing fears that the data could be “weaponized” in the ongoing debates over transgender healthcare.
The research involved 95 children from across the U.S. who were prescribed puberty blockers. These medications prevent the permanent physical changes of puberty, such as breast development or voice deepening, which could intensify gender dysphoria. Olson-Kennedy’s team tracked the children for two years, expecting to see improvements in mental health, similar to results from earlier Dutch studies that showed positive outcomes. However, the American trial did not yield the same results.
According to Dr. Olson-Kennedy, the children in the study exhibited stable mental health before and after treatment. “They’re in really good shape when they come in, and they’re in really good shape after two years,” she explained, despite earlier reports stating that one-quarter of the participants were depressed or suicidal before treatment. This seeming contradiction has led to delays in publishing the study, as Olson-Kennedy believes the findings could be misinterpreted in the current political landscape, where over 20 U.S. states have passed or proposed bans on gender-affirming care for minors.
The delay has sparked concern among other researchers, who argue that withholding the results deprives families and clinicians of critical information. Dr. Amy Tishelman, a psychologist at Boston College and an original researcher on the project, emphasized the need to release the data, even if the findings show no significant changes in mental health, the Times explained. She pointed out that the drugs may have prevented further psychological decline, a possibility that requires more investigation.
Critics of puberty blockers, including Dr. Hilary Cass, a pediatrician who reviewed youth gender services in England, have highlighted the lack of conclusive evidence supporting their benefits. In the U.K., concerns about the long-term effects of puberty blockers on bone development and fertility have led to more cautious approaches, with some countries pulling back on their use altogether outside of clinical trials.
The news comes as Biden officials have been attacking doctors who have argued what Olsen-Kennedy’s study likely will confirm. In June, the Department of Justice attacked a whistleblower at the Texas Children’s Hospital for revealing that the hospital had been performing surgeries on minors in secret despite a directive from the Texas governor banning them.
In 2023, a whistleblower in Missouri called out the Democrats for pushing an agenda to sterilize children at the Washington University School of Medicine.
Jamie Reed, a 42-year-old native of St. Louis, said she worked as a case manager at the Transgender Center from 2018 to 2022.
In her bombshell testimony in The Free Press, Reed wrote that she is “a queer woman, and politically to the left of Bernie Sanders. My worldview has deeply shaped my career. I have spent my professional life providing counseling to vulnerable populations: children in foster care, sexual minorities, the poor.
In her public testimony, she claimed that little is needed to convince the doctors at Washington University that children should begin transitioning. A letter of support from a therapist “who they had to see only once or twice for the green light” is all that’s required. Then the kids could be sent to an endocrinologist for a testosterone prescription.
“’To make it more efficient for the therapists, we offered them a template for how to write a letter in support of transition,’ she wrote.
Reed also slammed the center for downplaying possible negative consequences on both boys and girls — including suicide.
“Being put on powerful doses of testosterone or estrogen — enough to try to trick your body into mimicking the opposite sex — affects the rest of the body,” she wrote. “I doubt that any parent who’s ever consented to give their kid testosterone (a lifelong treatment) knows that they’re also possibly signing their kid up for blood pressure medication, cholesterol medication, and perhaps sleep apnea and diabetes.”
Dr. Olson-Kennedy remains committed to publishing the study’s findings but insists that the data must be meticulously analyzed to avoid fueling further political polarization.
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She’s afraid the study will be weaponized? No, she’s afraid it will prove her wrong in pushing these Frankenstein “treatments.”