Jovanna Dahlgren, a professor of pediatric endocrinology, says parliament should vote against the new bill to lower the age limit and make it easier for Swedish citizens to change their legal gender.
– I hope the proposal will be postponed until more facts are available, she says, pointing out that many people who seek treatment for gender dysphoria are actually suffering from autism or identity crises.
In particular, she says, it is the lowering of the age from 18 to 16 at which minors are allowed to “change sex” with parental consent that she finds completely unreasonable. She argues in the taxpayer-funded SVT that such a change risks having negative consequences in the form of young people undergoing medical procedures that they will later regret for the rest of their lives.
– It’s much better to wait until you’re an adult and can understand what it means to undergo irreversible treatments, especially the ultimate surgery.
– There is more and more information and facts that indicate that the sharp increase in gender dysphoria in the last 15-20 years is largely due to the fact that many girls have an identity crisis, and it comes quite suddenly in adolescence, she continues.
Dahlgren also points out that “very many” young people who are reported to suffer from gender dysphoria also have autistic traits or diagnoses, and that it often seems to be a temporary identity crisis – which is why a quick gender change is not an optimal solution.
Wants to invest in child psychiatry
The professor also says she has spoken to politicians who see the new law on legal gender reassignment as a kind of “middle ground” that will be “sufficient” for those who are uncertain about their gender identity, something she is skeptical about.
– We argue that there is no indication that it would meet a need, but it is a step towards definitive gender reassignment, she says, emphasizing that the bill should be postponed until there are more facts and research on the issue.
– Resources should be invested in a scientifically correct investigation, a shorter time to child psychiatry, and taking this seriously. You shouldn’t have to wait several years to get to psychiatry.
The lobby organization RFSL, however, is very positive about making it easier to “change” legal gender and believes that this is something very important.
