Child given drugs to delay onset of puberty

[August]

Poor kid.

A lesbian couple in California who say their 11-year-old son Tommy may actually be a girl named Tammy are giving their child hormone blockers that delay the onset of puberty -- so that he can have more time to decide exactly who he, or she, is. The couple’s supporters say the Hormone Blocking Therapy has only minor side effects and is appropriate for a child who is unsure of his gender. "This is definitely a changing landscape for transgender youth," said Joel Baum, director of education and training for Gender Spectrum, a California-based non-profit group. "This is about giving kids and their families the opportunity to make the right decision."

But critics of the treatment say 11-year-olds are not old enough to make life-altering decisions about changing their gender, and parents should not be encouraging them. They say it’s too soon to tell what the side effects of the treatments may be, and they say Tommy’s parents, Pauline Moreno and Debra Lobel, are irresponsible for seeking them and allowing them to be administered.
"This is child abuse. It's like performing liposuction on an anorexic child," said Dr. Paul McHugh, professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/17...#ixzz1b3dM9Ajr