A doctor involved in a taxpayer-funded study has acknowledged withholding the publication of its findings, which revealed no mental health benefits linked to the use of puberty blockers in supposedly transgender children. Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy admitted that the study was not published for political reasons, claiming it might aid those banning or seeking to ban medical transitions for minors. So far, 20 states have banned such “treatments.”
The study, backed by nearly $10 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 2015, observed 95 children with an approximate average age of 11. These children were administered puberty blockers, designed to pause physical changes such as breast growth and voice deepening.
Transgender activists have claimed these treatments could help mental health in youth with alleged gender dysphoria. However, the study’s results indicated no meaningful improvement in mental health after two years.
Dr. Olson-Kennedy, the study’s lead researcher, maintained that participants were in good condition before and after the “treatment” period. However, initial observations by the research team noted that about one-fourth of the participants faced depression or suicidal tendencies before beginning the treatment.
Olson-Kennedy previously pushed to administer cross-sex hormones to children as young as eight, where the previous floor had been 13.
EXISTING RESEARCH.
Previous studies have noted the dangers of puberty blockers for children, including raising questions as to whether the effects actually are reversible.
In the United States, between 2019 and 2023, an estimated 14,000 children were either put on puberty blockers or received surgical gender reassignment. U.S. hospitals made nearly $120 million in profit from it.
In recent years, several countries, including Sweden and the United Kingdom, have halted or banned hormone blockers from being used on children.
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