July 29, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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CALGARY: A new study from the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy and Do No Harm compares Canada and the United States’ gender-transition policies for minors with those of Northern and Western Europe.

The North American approach to transgender medical treatment for minors is known as “gender affirmation.” It assumes gender incongruence can manifest as early as age four and that questioning a minor’s gender self-definition is harmful and unethical. On the other hand, Northern and Western Europe, which broadly share the same social values as Canada and the United States, have begun to reject such automatic assumptions as regards minors.

In Teenagers, Children, and Gender Transition Policy: A Comparison of Transgender Medical Policy for Minors in Canada, the United States, and Europe, authors Dr. Roy Eappen (MDCM), Dr. Edward Les (MD), and Dr. Ian Kingsbury (PhD) compare the growing divide in approaches, by examining nine medical public policies across jurisdictions. For example:

Minimum age for puberty blockers:

• Eight of ten Canadian provinces have no minimum age requirement for puberty blockers. Alberta alone bans puberty blockers before age 15, and Nova Scotia requires applicants to reach Tanner Stage II (i.e. approximately 11½ to 12 years old);
• In contrast, European nations such as Sweden and the United Kingdom have banned or paused puberty blockers for minors under age 18;
• Most European nations allow puberty blockers for young teenagers with parental consent and at age 15 or 16 without parental consent;
• In most U.S. states, puberty blockers cannot be prescribed before age 18 without parental consent.

Minimum age for cross-sex hormones

• Seven of ten Canadian provinces have no minimum age requirement for cross-sex hormones. Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia are the exceptions;
• Most European countries prohibit cross-sex hormones for minors under age 16. They allow it after age 16 with parental consent and at age 18 without consent;
• Some U.S. states restrict access while others, such as Oregon, allow minors as young as age 15 to access cross-sex hormones without parental consent.

Legal gender on government-issued documents (all ages)

• All ten Canadian provinces allow a third gender, an “X”, in addition to male and female;
• Belgium, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom only recognize male and female genders;
• Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, and the Netherlands allow for a third gender depending on the document;
• Twenty-two of 50 U.S. states allow for a third gender on government-issued documents.

“Our policy review reveals that Canada and some U.S. states are the most permissive in the world when it comes to the legal and medical gender transition of minors,” notes lead author and practicing endocrinologist Dr. Roy Eappen, “Here, at a much younger age than Europe, patients are eligible for invasive surgeries that are potentially irreversible and medically harmful.”

“Given the growing European shift, which is grounded in medical science,” remarks co-author Dr. Edward Les, a practicing pediatrician, “and in the interests of protecting the most vulnerable, Canada and the United States should follow the lead of countries such as Sweden, England, and Scotland in reconsidering the gender-affirming care model.”

Link to the study: Teenagers, Children, and Gender Transition Policy: A Comparison of Transgender Medical Policy for Minors in Canada, the United States, and Europe.

To arrange for an author interview, note the contact below.

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MEDIA CONTACT TO ARRANGE INTERVIEWS

Joanne Birce, Administrative Coordinator

Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy

Email: media@aristotlefoundation.org