In late July, while his parents were out of town and after he had come of age, Fred went to Planned Parenthood, which prescribes hormones to any legal adult without a letter from a therapist or a formal diagnosis of gender dysphoria.
Planned Parenthood is one of the largest providers of cross-sex hormones in the United States, and one of the fastest growing.
Hormones now appear to be in higher demand than abortion at some branches: A Planned Parenthood in Knoxville, Tenn., told NPR that nearly a fifth of its patients sought hormone therapy in 2021, whereas abortion makes up just 3 percent of Planned Parenthood's services nationally.
These doctors argue that Planned Parenthood, which relies heavily on nurse practitioners and employs few psychiatrists, is ill-equipped to handle complex cases like Fred's.
The complaint, a copy of which was reviewed by the Free Beacon, said that Planned Parenthood violated the standards of care by prescribing Fred estrogen without a thorough psychiatric assessment, and that his autistic traits had inhibited his capacity to consent.
Though Planned Parenthood does warn patients about the effects of hormone therapy, those warnings are not standardized across its numerous state affiliates, which means patients in one region might get very different information from those in another.
Hormone therapy can affect kidney function, potassium levels, and red blood cell counts, according to Planned Parenthood of Michigan, where bloodwork is required, so people with higher baselines may need lower doses to avoid blood clots and other conditions.
No comments:
Post a Comment