JAMA publishes op-ed warning that parental control could limit teen gender-affirming care
The Journal of the American Medical Association released an opinion article on Oct. 12 arguing that expanding parental rights in health decisions may hinder adolescents’ access to gender-affirming services and constrain physicians.
On Oct. 12, JAMA printed an op-ed authored by Denise Lillvis and Anna Kirkland that contends expanding parental rights in medical decisions may obstruct adolescents’ access to gender-affirming care and limit physicians’ ability to provide it. The authors describe a trend of state policies extending parental control into areas such as vaccination, sexual health, gender expression, mental health, and substance-abuse treatment, arguing this creates barriers to “acceptable care.”
They point to Idaho’s “Pediatric Secretive Transitions Parental Rights Act” as an example of legislation that could jeopardize confidential physician-patient relationships. The piece notes the authors have received millions in NIH, CDC and FDA grants, while NIH clarified it did not fund the commentary. JAMA declined to comment directly, directing inquiries to the authors, who have not responded.
