I'm not willing to stipulate, not even for the sake of argument, that the proper treatment for a mental illness is to reinforce the delusion. I had a son who decided at a young age that he was a puppy. That's a fun game for a few hours, one that I'm sure many parents have dealt with, but it lasted more than a day. Rather than getting him a collar and a doggy dish and being completely supportive of a permanent identity change, perhaps even demanding that others call my son "Spot", I got the other kids ice cream. "Puppies don't eat ice cream, you know." It only took a little over an hour of things puppies don't do before we heard the last doggie whimper and my son decided he'd rather be a boy.
I would not amputate the leg of a child with "body image identity disorder" (a real disorder in which people want a body part removed). Any decent person and even many democrats would recognize amputation in that context as child abuse and medical malpractice. Why do the genitals get special politically correct treatment when it comes to this mental illness? As an adult, I recognize the difference between an adult and a child, and I would not permit someone under 18 to make irreversible decisions or even long-term decisions of this nature about their own lives. If there are psychologists, psychiatrists, and surgeons sick enough to mutilate adults with this mental illness, or to support that mutilation, I can't stop them. I will not, however, support the abuse of mentally ill children in the name of political correctness.
Yep. My cousin’s daughter insisted she had a penis and was really a boy when she was 4—and this went on for several months. They didn’t encourage her or treat her like a boy; they told her she didn’t have a penis; she had a vagina and was a little girl. She eventually outgrew that phase. She is now a complete girly-girl and is a teenager. When I read of these cases, I cannot help but wonder how absolutely messed-up she would be, if her parents had indulged this little fantasy of hers or took her to a pediatrician that did.
This just breaks my heart. :^(
Excellent post and in line with my thinking (thus it’s most excellent status), but my only comment is I wouldn’t limit it to someone younger than 18. Mental illnesses limit the ability of otherwise rational adults to make good decisions. Society recognizes this and our move toward a society of consent, while good, shouldn’t be limitless. That two consenting adults choose to do harm to themselves should be recognized as a bad and limited.