H4624 — better known as the Do No Harm Act — has made its way through the Senate committee process. The next step will be the Senate Republican Caucus agreeing to set the bill for a special-order slot. All indications coming from Senate leadership suggest this will happen, but when it comes to protecting innocent children from the dangers of gender transition, we must remain vigilant.
The scientific community and LGBTQ+ advocates were rocked recently when Environmental Progress released its bombshell report revealing the deceptive practices of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). For those who may not be familiar with WPATH, they are reputed to be the leading scientific and medical organization devoted to transgender care. They are widely quoted and sourced in all media, by other scientific organizations, and by every LGBTQ+ advocate on the planet. WPATH claims to be at the forefront of gender medicine.
We now know they are at the forefront of deception and demagoguery. Rather than advocating from a platform of science and reason, WPATH operates from a platform of misdirection and knowingly false statements. Environmental Progress obtained and released files from WPATH’s internal messaging forum, and a leaked internal panel discussion revealing the depth of WPATH’s deception concerning what is known about minors who are undergoing so called “gender care.”
As the truth comes out, it is clear scientists who insist cross-hormone treatments, puberty blockers, and transgender surgeries are safe and effective for the treatment of gender dysphoria in minors have no idea if their pronouncements are true. Many of the medical practices they advocate for are arbitrary and, according to Environmental Progress, they practice a “pseudo-scientific, consumer-driven” form of healthcare.
During subcommittee hearings in the House and the Senate, members of WPATH were quoted extensively, even though a review of their member roster revealed no members from South Carolina. Minors and their parents are being misled and harmed by those who consider themselves experts in the field of gender care. In their Executive Summary of the report on WPATH, Environmental Progress states, “The ethical requirement to obtain informed consent is being violated, with members admitting that children and adolescents cannot comprehend the lifelong consequences of sex-trait modification interventions, and in some cases, due to poor health literacy, neither can their parents.”
Reporting on the release of the WPATH files, Hannah Barnes, a reporter for The Guardian, writes, “Despite its grand title, WPATH is neither solely a professional body (a significant portion of its membership are activists) nor does it represent the world view on how to care for this group of people.” When your organization is populated by scientists who believe the science is settled and activists who are pushing an agenda, you create an intellectual echo chamber that reflects biased opinions masquerading as science.
South Carolina should join the growing number of states that are passing legislation to protect minors from the horrors of transgender procedures that are harming children for life. Despite pronouncements to the contrary, these procedures are irreversible, and they often cause medical problems that last a lifetime. In light of the release of these files, it is no longer possible to deny the dangers of transgender treatments.
During a recent Colson Center Breakpoint Forum, Dr. Steve Grcevich emphasized, “Children who struggle to understand who they are need to be invited to belong and need to know who God has made them to be.” Psalm 139:14 says, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” It is up to the South Carolina Legislature to protect our children by the law by passing the Do No Harm Act as soon as possible. It is up to the church to preach biblical truth and care for those who are hurting because of gender dysphoria.
Children and their parents need to hear and respond to the truth: “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in Him” (Proverbs 30:5). We need the law to protect our children, but we must also remember God’s Word is the ultimate protector. It is the only hope for a changed heart and a true understanding of how we are made in His image.