Once upon a time, like about 20 minutes ago, Americans were certain about long-known medical and scientific facts.
We knew, for instance, that there are only two biological sexes in the human species; that only women can get pregnant, carry a fetus to term, and give birth; that generally speaking men are stronger than women and because of that, biological men would have an unfair advantage if they competed against women in sporting events.
These were facts regardless of anything having to do with the LGBTQ+ agenda, and indeed, most Americans still regard them as hard-and-fast facts.
But 20 minutes later, here we are now being led down a path of blatant falsehoods and untruths by a tiny group of ‘woke’ leftists whose ultimate goal is the destruction of existing norms in their relentless pursuit to obliterate our culture.
Case in point, per Fox News Digital:
The world’s bestselling medical textbook removed the definition of gender dysphoria from its website after the Florida Department of Health cited it in recent guidance advising against gender transitions for children and adolescents, according to an email…
The email from Melissa Adams, who is Merck Manuals’ director of marketing and brand awareness, also asked the Florida Department of Health to adjust their guidance based on the update in the manual, which was first published in 1899 and remains the oldest continuously published medical textbook in English.
“Gender dysphoria is characterized by a strong, persistent cross-gender identification associated with anxiety, depression, irritability, and often a wish to live as a gender different from the one associated with the sex assigned at birth,” according to the Merck Manual’s prior definition, which has now been removed from the book’s website.
Even the ‘former’ definition can be misleading: Sex at birth isn’t assigned, it is defined by biology. You’re born a boy or a girl, period; no one ‘assigns’ you birth sex.
Nevertheless, even that definition has now been scrubbed.
“We were in the process of updating our online chapter on that subject so I wanted to make sure you had the latest information,” wrote Adams in what seems like a very convenient claim.
“Some of the verbiage you reference in quotes has now been omitted as a result of the update which went live on our site at the end of April,” Adams added.
Adams’ email also requested that Florida remove its language following the ‘updated’ definition. But the state’s surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, instead tweeted a screengrab of Adams’ communication and alleged that Merck’s change was nothing less than “political activism disguised as medical advancement.”
He’s got that right.
Then he noted: “Medicine cannot be a weapon used to divide communities, and Florida’s guidance will not change due to political pressure.”
Where have we seen this before? 🤔
Political activism disguised as scientific advancement.
Medicine cannot be a weapon used to divide communities, and Florida’s guidance will not change due to political pressure. pic.twitter.com/6JXRFYJbBp
— Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, PhD (@FLSurgeonGen) May 5, 2022
Adds Fox News Digital:
Merck removed the definition from its website after Ladapo released a fact sheet on April 20 in response to guidelines from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in March.
According to the new guidance from HHS, “gender-affirming care” includes social affirmation at any age, puberty blockers during puberty and hormone therapy starting during early adolescence. Irreversible surgery is “typically used in adulthood or case-by-case basis in adolescence.”
But, citing a “lack of conclusive evidence, and the potential for long-term, irreversible effects,” the Florida Department of Health under Ladapo has advised against social transition, puberty blockers, hormones, and surgery as treatment options for children and adolescents.
Florida’s guidance also adds:
Systematic reviews on hormonal treatment for young people show a trend of low-quality evidence, small sample sizes, and medium to high risk of bias. A paper published in the International Review of Psychiatry states that 80% of those seeking clinical care will lose their desire to identify with the non-birth sex. One review concludes that “hormonal treatments for transgender adolescents can achieve their intended physical effects, but evidence regarding their psychosocial and cognitive impact is generally lacking.” …
The Department’s guidelines are consistent with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services age requirement for surgical and non-surgical treatment. These guidelines are also in line with the guidance, reviews, and recommendations from Sweden, Finland, the United Kingdom, and France.
One additional disturbing aspect to all of this is Merck’s deference to the hard left’s continued push to propagandize — and even groom — our youngest citizens. What a disgrace for the nation’s oldest published medical manual.
