Free Republic

The publication this week of the Cass Review into gender-identity services for young people marks a welcome return to reason in an area of medicine which for the past few years has been driven by identity politics. No one is denying that there are those who deserve psychological — and in some cases physical — help to cope with their condition. But the explosion in the number of children treated on Britain’s National Health Service for gender-identity issues (and in many cases being given powerful drugs with severe side effects) should have set alarm bells. Medical professionals should have been...

Recent studies provide evidence on the effects of puberty blockers on kids, a field where hitherto there has been little to no longterm data or research. And the results are sobering. It turns out trying to tamper with natural biology has bad and sometimes permanent longterm consequences. Who would have thought? ... The cost not only comes in delayed sexual development but in serious effects such as permanently retarded bone growth, infertility, and potential retarded brain development. “Many physicians in the United States and elsewhere are prescribing blockers to patients at the first stage of puberty — as early as...

Puberty blockers are widely touted by doctors and transgender activists as a safe and fully reversible way to pause puberty for children with gender identity issues, but a growing body of evidence is challenging those claims, according to The New York Times. The drug prevents the surge in bone density that would normally occur during puberty, and patients can see lifelong bone issues that are never resolved, according to the Monday NYT article. Medical professionals are also challenging claims that the drug is reversible, arguing instead that blocking puberty permanently cements a child’s transgender identity and puts them on a...

Children being treated for transgender issues at Sweden’s Karolinska University Hospital have allegedly suffered severe injuries as a result of hormone puberty blockers. Doctors at Karolinska University Hospital have been aware of injuries suffered by children as a result of hormone treatments, however, the injuries were not been made public until this week. Of the 440 children treated at the hospital for gender dysphoria issues and were given hormone blockers, 13 have suffered serious injuries. A girl who wished to become a boy at the age of 10 was put on a regimen of puberty-blocking drugs at the age of...

Even the world's most repressive regimes often have laws on the books that pretend to grant citizens certain political rights. What matters is the extent to which citizens are actually allowed to use those rights — you know, in real life. In Michigan, taxpayers are now trying to recall ten state legislators, and in the process testing how "real life" their democratic rights are. The ten targeted solons come from both parties. Prior to their fateful votes to raise taxes against their constituent wishes, taxpayer groups repeatedly warned them that a recall effort would be launched against them if they...

Does anyone know a good tool to get rid of and block spyware,parasites,adware, viruses and other crap. I think Drudge has it on his web site. I surf but not a huge amount but the crap is getting too much. These advertising parasites also come as worms, viruses, trohans etc. I have tried free AdAware 6.0, free Spybot and the latest is the Giant AntiSpyware on a free trial. Giant seems the best but a lot of crap is still there. I also run Norton (worthless on most of this stuff), Solo (great AV program) plus have used free Panada...