A medical expert for FOX News has suggested a controversial regimen of treatment to cure children who identify as transgender. Dr. Keith Ablow put forth his ideas during an interview on the FOX & Friends show on Monday.
Ablow first made a comparison between being transgender and attempting to collect Social Security before the age of 65. He then stated that children who claim to be transgender should receive hormone injections that correspond to their gender at birth. He explained this would allow the child to feel more comfortable with their naturally assigned gender and discourage thoughts of changing to a different one. Ablow’s suggestion is related to his now-discredited therapy to cure gay people by changing their sexual orientation.
Ablow’s idea is also similar to an approach used during World War II where gay men were given injections of testosterone, and gay women were injected with estrogen, to stop same-sex attractions. This sort of treatment was debunked as ineffective decades ago.
Ablow is known for his negative views toward transgender children, which has drawn the ire of the American Psychological Association. The association said that forcing a child to accept a gender that does not feel natural is extremely harmful, and lack of acceptance by family members can result in poor mental and physical health.