Alberta government thread

[Altair]

Bringing this back to Alberta, their attempts to stop puberty blockers in children up to 15 could be heavy handed,

Thank you.

 

[QV]

Disrupting normal hormone balance during a child's primary development years must have significant negative and long term impacts.

 

[MilEME09]

Disrupting normal hormone balance during a child's primary development years must have significant negative and long term impacts.

well a quick prompt to chatgbt produces this

While puberty blockers can be life-saving for some individuals by providing them more time to explore their gender identity without the distress of unwanted puberty changes, there are potential long-term effects and risks to consider. Research on the long-term effects is still ongoing, but here are some of the known or suspected effects:

1.​

One of the more concerning potential long-term effects of puberty blockers is a reduction in bone density. Estrogen and testosterone are important for bone development, and when puberty is delayed or suppressed, it can interfere with bone growth. Long-term use of puberty blockers may increase the risk of osteoporosis or bone fractures later in life, especially if hormone therapy isn't started in a timely manner to "re-activate" puberty or stimulate bone growth.

2.​

Since puberty blockers halt the body's natural growth spurt, there could be a delay in achieving full adult height. Some studies have found that children who take puberty blockers may end up slightly shorter than they would have been if they had gone through puberty at a typical age, though the overall difference is often relatively small. In some cases, if hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is started early enough after puberty blockers, it may mitigate this effect.

3.​

The long-term use of puberty blockers may have an impact on fertility, though this is not fully understood. When combined with hormone therapy (such as testosterone for trans men or estrogen for trans women), fertility may be compromised. This is why it's often recommended that individuals who wish to preserve fertility consider options like egg or sperm freezing before starting puberty blockers and hormone therapy.

4.​

While puberty blockers can help alleviate the distress caused by the wrong puberty, some individuals may experience emotional side effects, particularly if they are taking the medication for an extended period. These could include feelings of isolation, depression, or anxiety—though these effects may be more closely tied to gender dysphoria itself than the medication. Importantly, a supportive environment and mental health care can mitigate these effects.

5.​

Puberty is also a critical period for brain development, and some concerns have been raised about how blocking puberty could impact cognitive, emotional, and social development. While this area is still under study, some researchers have speculated that pausing puberty may affect things like executive functioning, social development, and the ability to make decisions—though evidence for these risks is still limited.

6.​

Since puberty blockers have been used for gender dysphoria relatively recently, there are still many unknowns about the long-term effects, particularly if they are used for decades. Ongoing research is needed to fully understand the risks and benefits over the lifespan.

Mitigating Risks:​

• Monitoring and Timing: Puberty blockers are typically used for a limited time, often a few years, before transitioning to hormone therapy if appropriate. The key to mitigating risks is careful monitoring and a well-timed transition to hormones that align with the individual's gender identity once they are old enough.
• Medical Supervision: Regular check-ups with healthcare providers, including bone density scans and mental health evaluations, are important for people using puberty blockers to ensure any adverse effects are caught early.

Conclusion:​

Overall, while puberty blockers can be a vital tool in supporting young people with gender dysphoria, their use does carry potential long-term risks, particularly related to bone health, growth, and fertility. The risks need to be weighed against the benefits, and careful monitoring by healthcare providers is essential to minimize negative outcomes.

 

[OldSolduer]

We should not be fucking around with nature - but we do ALL the time.

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

 

[Altair]

We should not be fucking around with nature - but we do ALL the time.

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

Are trans individuals not part of nature?

I'm confused.

 

[QV]

well a quick prompt to chatgbt produces this

While puberty blockers can be life-saving for some individuals by providing them more time to explore their gender identity without the distress of unwanted puberty changes, there are potential long-term effects and risks to consider. Research on the long-term effects is still ongoing, but here are some of the known or suspected effects:

1.​

One of the more concerning potential long-term effects of puberty blockers is a reduction in bone density. Estrogen and testosterone are important for bone development, and when puberty is delayed or suppressed, it can interfere with bone growth. Long-term use of puberty blockers may increase the risk of osteoporosis or bone fractures later in life, especially if hormone therapy isn't started in a timely manner to "re-activate" puberty or stimulate bone growth.

2.​

Since puberty blockers halt the body's natural growth spurt, there could be a delay in achieving full adult height. Some studies have found that children who take puberty blockers may end up slightly shorter than they would have been if they had gone through puberty at a typical age, though the overall difference is often relatively small. In some cases, if hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is started early enough after puberty blockers, it may mitigate this effect.

3.​

The long-term use of puberty blockers may have an impact on fertility, though this is not fully understood. When combined with hormone therapy (such as testosterone for trans men or estrogen for trans women), fertility may be compromised. This is why it's often recommended that individuals who wish to preserve fertility consider options like egg or sperm freezing before starting puberty blockers and hormone therapy.

4.​

While puberty blockers can help alleviate the distress caused by the wrong puberty, some individuals may experience emotional side effects, particularly if they are taking the medication for an extended period. These could include feelings of isolation, depression, or anxiety—though these effects may be more closely tied to gender dysphoria itself than the medication. Importantly, a supportive environment and mental health care can mitigate these effects.

5.​

Puberty is also a critical period for brain development, and some concerns have been raised about how blocking puberty could impact cognitive, emotional, and social development. While this area is still under study, some researchers have speculated that pausing puberty may affect things like executive functioning, social development, and the ability to make decisions—though evidence for these risks is still limited.

6.​

Since puberty blockers have been used for gender dysphoria relatively recently, there are still many unknowns about the long-term effects, particularly if they are used for decades. Ongoing research is needed to fully understand the risks and benefits over the lifespan.

Mitigating Risks:​

• Monitoring and Timing: Puberty blockers are typically used for a limited time, often a few years, before transitioning to hormone therapy if appropriate. The key to mitigating risks is careful monitoring and a well-timed transition to hormones that align with the individual's gender identity once they are old enough.
• Medical Supervision: Regular check-ups with healthcare providers, including bone density scans and mental health evaluations, are important for people using puberty blockers to ensure any adverse effects are caught early.

Conclusion:​

Overall, while puberty blockers can be a vital tool in supporting young people with gender dysphoria, their use does carry potential long-term risks, particularly related to bone health, growth, and fertility. The risks need to be weighed against the benefits, and careful monitoring by healthcare providers is essential to minimize negative outcomes.

Pretty much the impacts I was thinking about. That all sounds very terrible. Especially if administered to a young child who is confused/impressionable and later change their mind.

 

[Quirky]

its free to renew so why not have automatic renewal, people have busy lives, I doubt you'll get a reminder in the mail, so if I forget to renew mine, and the next day I suffer a heart attack, I am no longer covered at the hospital, see the problem? This punishes people who might simply forget, especially the elderly

Those seem like excuses to me to avoid responsibility. There could be a number of ways to handle these types of things, like having one Alberta resident card which has your drivers license, health number, YMCA membership, etc etc. Until something like this happens, people need to be accountable for themselves and their own lives.

 

[MilEME09]

Those seem like excuses to me to avoid responsibility. There could be a number of ways to handle these types of things, like having one Alberta resident card which has your drivers license, health number, YMCA membership, etc etc. Until something like this happens, people need to be accountable for themselves and their own lives.

Imo it's unneeded red tape for no reason especially if I cant renew online and have to go to a registry to get a new free card

 

[Blackadder1916]

its free to renew so why not have automatic renewal, people have busy lives, I doubt you'll get a reminder in the mail, so if I forget to renew mine, and the next day I suffer a heart attack, I am no longer covered at the hospital, see the problem? This punishes people who might simply forget, especially the elderly

Other than my objection on principle to the current government's move to scrap the (crappy) paper health card in favour of a "digital card" or to have it added to the driver's licence, the ones most at risk of losing (even temporarily) will be those at the edges of society. They will not always have driver's licenses or provincial ID. The explanation that there is abuse of the system by people getting health services when they no longer live in Alberta sounds dubious. From experience (including back when Albertans had to pay health insurance premiums) AHCIP rarely missed not paying when the address of persons who received health services didn't match that on their account. The most numerous billing rejection codes were always from the 30 group (address, spelling of names, spouses and children, et al).

These are the things you have to update.

Health card updates

Update your health information if you move, have children, turn 21 or 65, get married, divorced or other relationship changes.

www.alberta.ca

 

[Jarnhamar]

The explanation that there is abuse of the system by people getting health services when they no longer live in Alberta sounds dubious.

What hidden reasons could the Alberta government be pushing this for?