“Would you rather have a dead daughter or a living son?”
That’s the question that transgender activists and “gender-affirming” therapists and physicians often hold over parents’ heads when they refuse to allow their gender-dysphoric child to take experimental puberty blockers and long-term cross-sex hormones.
A panel of experts spoke on the dangers posed by that “either-or” dichotomy at an event, “The Effect of Access to Puberty Blockers and Cross-Sex Hormones on Youth Suicide Rates,” at The Heritage Foundation on Tuesday. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of the Heritage Foundation.)
The speakers discussed the significance of Heritage’s newly released, breakthrough study, “Puberty Blockers, Cross-Sex Hormones, and Youth Suicide,” which examined the increased rate of youth suicide in states that allow gender-dysphoric minors to take cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers without parental consent.
The study’s findings on suicide rates among gender-dysphoric youths run counter to the narrative of the transgender activists.
Jay Greene, a senior fellow at Heritage’s Center for Education Policy and author of the study, spoke of the imperative of investigating the effects of the widespread availability of puberty blockers. He called for clinical trials to determine whether puberty blockers and the long-term use of cross-sex hormones are safe for children.
Jay Richards, the director of Heritage’s DeVos Center for Life, Religion, and Family, and Virginia Gentles, director of the Education Freedom Center at the Independent Women’s Forum, joined Greene on the panel, which was moderated by Ryan Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
“We are in the middle of a rapid-onset gender-dysphoria pandemic,” Richards said, calling puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones the “pathway to sterilization.”
The speakers noted that transgender activists and physicians often play the suicide card to coerce parents into letting their child take these experimental drugs. “What would lead us to put our children on a pathway to sterilization? Ask any parent, and they’ll tell you—childhood suicide,” Richards said. “It’s the only thing that would overcome our natural aversion to the pathway to sterilization.”
The speakers also noted the “social contagion” aspect of the increased use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones among children. Greene said the Google search trend for “puberty blockers” before 2007 was zero, but spiked between 2015 and 2020, when puberty blockers became more widely available to young children.
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Gentles said that one of the most concerning aspects of the study’s findings is how the parents’ role in their child’s life is beingusurped by medical, educational, and governmental institutions that actively conceal children’s health information from parents.
“Parents know that a risky regimen of puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries won’t bring their children the peace and joy they so desperately crave,” Gentles said. She added that the individuals making experimental but irreversible medical decisions for children in place of parents have insufficient knowledge to intervene.
“The pernicious assumption behind this horrific question is that parents do not have the best interest of their children at heart and that the experts know better,” Gentles said. “Nothing is further from the truth.”
Heritage’s study contradicts the narrative that “gender-affirming care” is necessary and “lifesaving” in many circumstances, finding that “increasing minors’ access to cross-sex interventions is associated with a significant increase in the adolescent suicide rate.”
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By encouraging minors to “pause” puberty, physicians and transgender activists are inevitably forcing those children to take cross-sex hormones and permanently mutilate their bodies, which only furthers gender dysphoria, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts, the very things they claim to be working against.
Richards noted that 98% of children who take puberty blockers end up also taking cross-sex hormones.
The Heritage study found that the 33 states with legal provisions for children to receive healthcare without parental consent experienced 1.6 more suicides per 100,000 preadolescents and young adults ages 12 to 23 than the 17 states without such provisions. That represents a 14% increase in the average state suicide rate among the same ages from 1999 to 2020.
Greene’s research provided several public policy suggestions designed to guarantee safety for young children struggling with gender dysphoria and ensuring parental involvement and consent. “States should also adopt parental bills of rights that affirm that parents have primary responsibility for their children’s education and health, and that require schools to receive permission from parents before administering health services to students, including medication and gender-related counseling to students under age 18,” the report says.
“These vulnerable children deserve their parents’ involvement and deserve their parents’ support to make it safely to adulthood,” Gentles said. “It’s time to stop cruelly manipulating children with cultlike slogans, and it’s time to turn away from propaganda centered around suicide threats.”
Richards noted that for children who express gender dysphoria, “watchful waiting” often appears to be the best solution. “For most children, puberty is a cure for gender dysphoria,” he said.
The speakers said that Heritage’s study highlights not only the urgency for clinical studies on the long-term effects of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, but also the need for states’ recognition of parental involvement in medical decisions for minor children.
In addition, the speakers encouraged parents to fight for involvement in their children’s lives and speak up in the face of transgender activists’ intimidation and emotional manipulation.
“The point of [transgender activists’] messaging is to make parents afraid. They don’t have to be afraid. They don’t have to be isolated. They don’t have to stay silent,” Gentles said. “Hope is more powerful than fear.”
Image via The Federalist. Article cross-posted from Daily Signal.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
