[PASSED] Affordable Transgender Hormone Therapy

[Attempted Socialism]

"The Solidarity Movement already makes available hormone therapy for those who seek it. As with any other procedure there are risks, but for most those risks are outweighed by the rewards of feeling home in their own body. Social change, luckily, is far beyond what many delegations have presented here. For anyone concerned that there needs to be testing for whether a person seeking therapy is honest, qualified or in some other way deserving," the Ambassador made air-quotes for extra emphasis, "I can assure you that such tests are completely unnecessary. A medical practitioner and a psychologist will go through possible therapies, both the options and the effects, and anyone who wishes to go through with it will be plenty deserving. During our long history, we have had no cases of people going through with therapy and not being transgender. We applaud this effort to bring every World Assembly Nation into modernity."

[Morover]

"The Solidarity Movement already makes available hormone therapy for those who seek it. As with any other procedure there are risks, but for most those risks are outweighed by the rewards of feeling home in their own body. Social change, luckily, is far beyond what many delegations have presented here. For anyone concerned that there needs to be testing for whether a person seeking therapy is honest, qualified or in some other way deserving," the Ambassador made air-quotes for extra emphasis, "I can assure you that such tests are completely unnecessary. A medical practitioner and a psychologist will go through possible therapies, both the options and the effects, and anyone who wishes to go through with it will be plenty deserving. During our long history, we have had no cases of people going through with therapy and not being transgender. We applaud this effort to bring every World Assembly Nation into modernity."

"We appreciate your support and admire your dedication to your transgender population, ambassador."

[Jocospor]

No accusation of plagiarism was made, ambassador. We're sure the delegates from Shrewllamaland would be interested in working with you.

OOC: I think you missed the clearly OOC marker there.

OOC: Yes, thank you, Your Worshipfulness Lord GA Secretariat, Authority on All Existence.

Not the worst title I've had, but I prefer something that just denotes my obvious subject matter expertise than one that just slathers on praise. Really, titles should be about ease of identifying begats, not sloppy social blowjobs.

Again, an assertion wasn't made

It was.

but here's an assertion for you: No one needs you telling them what they can or can't do.

Its literally my job here. To interpret and apply GA rules and, as necessary, provide advice to that end. Which I did. There was the assertion of a rules violation. Thank you, Wallenburg, for memorializing it. I corrected the clearly incorrect statement by advising the player as to their options moving forward. Its what GenSec does.

I wouldn't have to do it if your grasp of the ruleset was less tenuous, but that's why they looked for subject matter experts to be on GenSec and not, y'know, you.

Morover can do what he likes; if he wants to work with us, his decision. You want to subsequently ridicule him for that, your decision.

I like this part. I appreciate a good attempt to turn blame around. Its a bit of sliminess that I genuinely admire when done right, and this almost was. Had our exchange over Morover's loyalties re: the draft gone on a bit longer in the thread, it may even have worked. I think you overplayed your hand, though, so I doubt the other "populist elites" in the forum are going to buy it.

OOC: Ignoring the majority of your superfluous rhetoric, indulge me as I offer to you a brief reeducation:

'assertion'
/əˈsəːʃ(ə)n/
noun
"a confident and forceful statement of fact or belief"

OOC: Fairly sure Shrewllamaland has this base already covered in a proposal draft; pursuing this might be against NS site rules for plagiarism? I'll leave it to Shrew to link the proposal here.

Confident? Forceful? I raised an issue. I did not make an assertion. If I wanted to make an assertion, I'd have said: "Morover, you ARE plagiarizing Shrew's proposal!!" I'm sorry if you're not familiar with the differences between low and high modality vocabulary.

And don't try and play my words, bud. I haven't called into question your authority on GA rules. At least through mocking my lacking understanding of those rules your arrogance is on display for everyone. But what I certainly don't appreciate is you, after you've acted within the capacity of your secretariat duties, dishing out your prejudices:

OOC: You need not work with them unless you want to, since your draft does not meet GA standards for plagiarism. Two drafts by different players on the same topics can coexist without invoking plagiarism. Don't listen to their incorrect assertions.

The bold shows not corrections but influencing. Morover didn't ask if he could work with us, and I've since debunked that I made an assertion in the first place. This is just you attempting to force your low opinions of Shrew and I onto another player. If you ask me, that's a "sloppy social blowjob."

More than happy for you to flaunt your "obvious subject matter expertise", but maybe just leave it at that, and when a player raises a possibility, don't attack them for it?

[Dontriptia]

Hormone therapy is prohibited in Dontriptia due to it having no medical benefit to outweigh its potentially detrimental effects, just as psychoactive drugs are illegal. Use of drugs to create or affirm a certain feeling is not a human right, nor is it an international issue.

Furthermore, this legislation is extremely dangerous not only due to its trampling on nations' right to regulate medical procedures, but also because it opens up the right for children of all ages to obtain hormone therapy against the will of their parents. The proposal isn't limited to those over the age of majority.

[Kenmoria]

Hormone therapy is prohibited in Dontriptia due to it having no medical benefit to outweigh its potentially detrimental effects, just as psychoactive drugs are illegal. Use of drugs to create or affirm a certain feeling is not a human right, nor is it an international issue.

Furthermore, this legislation is extremely dangerous not only due to its trampling on nations' right to regulate medical procedures, but also because it opens up the right for children of all ages to obtain hormone therapy against the will of their parents. The proposal isn't limited to those over the age of majority.

“This is most definitely an international issue, as it concerns the universal rights of the transgender populace. I should also point out that extremely young children won’t be covered by this, if they are so young that they can’t understand and thus can’t fully consent to hormone therapy.”

[Separatist Peoples]

OOC: Ignoring the majority of your superfluous rhetoric, indulge me as I offer to you a brief reeducation:

Ooc: You've nothing of value to teach me, so I had to stop here or risk choking on my coffee.

You were given a clarification on the rules. At this point, it's a threadjack. If you've a burning desire to discuss why nobody on this forum takes anything you say at face value, you should consider an alternative venue.

[Attempted Socialism]

Hormone therapy is prohibited in Dontriptia due to it having no medical benefit to outweigh its potentially detrimental effects, just as psychoactive drugs are illegal. Use of drugs to create or affirm a certain feeling is not a human right, nor is it an international issue.

Furthermore, this legislation is extremely dangerous not only due to its trampling on nations' right to regulate medical procedures, but also because it opens up the right for children of all ages to obtain hormone therapy against the will of their parents. The proposal isn't limited to those over the age of majority.

"With all due respect, Ambassador, those are non-issues. Hormone therapy is not used to create or affirm a certain feeling; hormones affect the physical body of a being. Hormone therapy will improve mental health by, in a sense, treating gender dysphoria - something that in itself creates several social and mental issues - but calling it 'creating' or 'affirming' a 'feeling' is simply wrong. I would hope that any serious member nation has qualified experts on hand to advice them before making such easy mistakes. Furthermore, the point at which any hormone therapy is reasonable is almost certainly past the point at which a child understands the procedure. There's also a good reason to allow children or youths to seek hormone therapy regardless of the will of their parents, as parents might, for conservative or religious reasons, prefer child abuse and torture to allowing their child therapy. Last, I will just inform the honourable Ambassador that literally all World Assembly resolutions trample on national rights, several of which affect rights to regulate medical procedures."

[Morover]

Hormone therapy is prohibited in Dontriptia due to it having no medical benefit to outweigh its potentially detrimental effects, just as psychoactive drugs are illegal. Use of drugs to create or affirm a certain feeling is not a human right, nor is it an international issue.

Furthermore, this legislation is extremely dangerous not only due to its trampling on nations' right to regulate medical procedures, but also because it opens up the right for children of all ages to obtain hormone therapy against the will of their parents. The proposal isn't limited to those over the age of majority.

"Ambassador, I must agree with my colleagues. This is a matter of international importance, as with any matter of fundamental human rights. As for your concern of children having these, I have two things to say. For older children who understand the consequences of hormone therapy and feel that it would help them treat gender dysphoria or the like, I say that they should be encouraged to get hormone therapy, regardless of their parents' opinion on the subject. For younger children who have no concept of what hormone therapy may entail, then this resolution does not apply to them, due to the language which states 'all consenting individuals.'"

[Trinitarium]

But sex is binary. Either you produce sperm or you produce eggs. Or fail at both, in which you can go by other biological categories.

[Morover]

But sex is binary. Either you produce sperm or you produce eggs. Or fail at both, in which you can go by other biological categories.

"That's a rather outdated way of thinking, ambassador. We try to actually remain somewhat modern here at the General Assembly."

[Christian Democrats]

But sex is binary. Either you produce sperm or you produce eggs. Or fail at both, in which you can go by other biological categories.

Women don't produce ova. They release them.

[Twilight Imperium]

But sex is binary. Either you produce sperm or you produce eggs. Or fail at both, in which you can go by other biological categories.

Women don't produce ova. They release them.

After producing them, presumably, unless the honorable CD delegate thinks they come from magical egg fairies.

TI will vote FOR this resolution once it comes to the floor.

[Kenmoria]

Women don't produce ova. They release them.

After producing them, presumably, unless the honorable CD delegate thinks they come from magical egg fairies.

TI will vote FOR this resolution once it comes to the floor.

(OOC: Slightly off-topic, but women don’t produce ova, they are already there from birth.

But sex is binary. Either you produce sperm or you produce eggs. Or fail at both, in which you can go by other biological categories.

Sex is not binary since, as you mention, people who can’t produce sperm or release eggs exist, though that isn’t a delineation either. You are apparently excluding children, who can do neither, from having a sex, along with infertile people.

In addition, even if sex were binary, that doesn’t mean gender is. Gender is the psychological counterpart to the biological sex and, despite them often aligning, there are circumstances in which one’s gender can be unaligned with one’s sex.)

[Dontriptia]

Hormone therapy is prohibited in Dontriptia due to it having no medical benefit to outweigh its potentially detrimental effects, just as psychoactive drugs are illegal. Use of drugs to create or affirm a certain feeling is not a human right, nor is it an international issue.

Furthermore, this legislation is extremely dangerous not only due to its trampling on nations' right to regulate medical procedures, but also because it opens up the right for children of all ages to obtain hormone therapy against the will of their parents. The proposal isn't limited to those over the age of majority.

"With all due respect, Ambassador, those are non-issues. Hormone therapy is not used to create or affirm a certain feeling; hormones affect the physical body of a being. Hormone therapy will improve mental health by, in a sense, treating gender dysphoria - something that in itself creates several social and mental issues - but calling it 'creating' or 'affirming' a 'feeling' is simply wrong. I would hope that any serious member nation has qualified experts on hand to advice them before making such easy mistakes. Furthermore, the point at which any hormone therapy is reasonable is almost certainly past the point at which a child understands the procedure. There's also a good reason to allow children or youths to seek hormone therapy regardless of the will of their parents, as parents might, for conservative or religious reasons, prefer child abuse and torture to allowing their child therapy. Last, I will just inform the honourable Ambassador that literally all World Assembly resolutions trample on national rights, several of which affect rights to regulate medical procedures."

Hormone therapy attempts to alter the physical body of a person to bring it into line with their subjective feelings. This, as a practice, is not considered to be appropriate by our medical ethics board because while it is correct that gender dysphoria is a psychological condition, psychological conditions are not treated by attempting to alter a person's body to conform to that psychological condition. Instead, we provide counseling and other services to help individuals suffering with gender dysphoria, although due to the lack of media representation of such issues here, very few people suffer from gender dysphoria.

Finally, a parent choosing to not allow their child to have an elective medical procedure is not "child abuse" or "torture" - especially considering that research shows that the majority of minors end up outgrowing or regretting their gender dysphoria.

Additionally, while other resolutions have trampled on national sovereignty, that does not justify even more encroachment. It is our delegation's position that resolutions which interfere with nations' right to regulate internal issues should be repealed.

[Grenartia]

But sex is binary. Either you produce sperm or you produce eggs. Or fail at both, in which you can go by other biological categories.

Women don't produce ova. They release them.

Pretty bold of you to show your face around here, Ambassador, especially after the rhetorical smackdown you received earlier.

Although, I have to wonder, where do the ova come from, if people with uteri don't produce them? I suppose the Fairy Godmother magics them in place? Or does it work like a rifle magazine? The world wonders.

After producing them, presumably, unless the honorable CD delegate thinks they come from magical egg fairies.

TI will vote FOR this resolution once it comes to the floor.

(OOC: Slightly off-topic, but women don’t produce ova, they are already there from birth.

(OOC: Actually, false: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_cell#Animals )

"With all due respect, Ambassador, those are non-issues. Hormone therapy is not used to create or affirm a certain feeling; hormones affect the physical body of a being. Hormone therapy will improve mental health by, in a sense, treating gender dysphoria - something that in itself creates several social and mental issues - but calling it 'creating' or 'affirming' a 'feeling' is simply wrong. I would hope that any serious member nation has qualified experts on hand to advice them before making such easy mistakes. Furthermore, the point at which any hormone therapy is reasonable is almost certainly past the point at which a child understands the procedure. There's also a good reason to allow children or youths to seek hormone therapy regardless of the will of their parents, as parents might, for conservative or religious reasons, prefer child abuse and torture to allowing their child therapy. Last, I will just inform the honourable Ambassador that literally all World Assembly resolutions trample on national rights, several of which affect rights to regulate medical procedures."

Hormone therapy attempts to alter the physical body of a person to bring it into line with their subjective feelings. This, as a practice, is not considered to be appropriate by our medical ethics board because while it is correct that gender dysphoria is a psychological condition, psychological conditions are not treated by attempting to alter a person's body to conform to that psychological condition.

Considering the ineffectiveness and unethicality of the 'psychological options' (and comparative non-unethicality of HRT and SRS), we recommend your medical ethics board remove itself from the Dark Ages post-haste.

Instead, we provide counseling and other services to help individuals suffering with gender dysphoria,

Ah, yes. The much-vaunted "conversion therapy". Our people weep for the poor, unnecessarily tortured souls in your nation. Careful reading of GAR 425, GAR 91, and GAR 140 suggests it to be illegal, while GAR 437 explicitly states it to be illegal (and any attempt at getting around it likely runs afoul of the aforementioned GAR 425).

although due to the lack of media representation of such issues here, very few people suffer from gender dysphoria.

That's not at all how it works, ambassador. You've simply caused more people to suffer in silence, without a single clue as to what causes their problems. One wonders how many people in your nation are being misdiagnosed and ineffectively treated due to gender dysphoria's blatant lack of visibility.

Finally, a parent choosing to not allow their child to have an elective medical procedure is not "child abuse" or "torture"

You say that like anyone is saying 3 year olds should get SRS. We're not. However, transition is often medically necessary, and parents denying medically necessary treatment to their children is not only child abuse, but a violation of existing WA legislation (per GAR 222) if your nation allows them to do so.

- especially considering that research shows that the majority of minors end up outgrowing or regretting their gender dysphoria.

As I pointed out to the Christian Democrats Ambassador, a significant portion of minors do not "outgrow" their gender dysphoria (though all of them likely do regret having it, just like all adults with it likely regret having it, since it is by definition, a bad thing to have). All presently-known figures regarding 'desistance' also fail to account for societal pressures. I.E., nobody knows how many minors that were diagnosed with GD and "desisted" have simply pretended it went away due to negative social pressures from family, peers, or other adults (such as teachers and school administrators), instead of their GD actually going away.

And, since nobody is proposing to take any action with irreversible and potentially negative effects until such a point that they and their peers are already capable of making life and death decisions (OOC: Surgery generally never happens before 18, and HRT likewise gets held off until 16, the age when most minors are learning how to drive, an inherently dangerous activity), it is quite illogical to prevent them from getting treatments which have been proven to be able to enhance their quality of life.

Additionally, while other resolutions have trampled on national sovereignty, that does not justify even more encroachment. It is our delegation's position that resolutions which interfere with nations' right to regulate internal issues should be repealed.

Quite frankly, if your nation doesn't like having to abide by the legislation of this body, why are you even here?

[Sinyal]

This is dumb

[Grenartia]

This is dumb

Then why are you here?

[United Massachusetts]

Please turn the periods at the end of your operative clauses into commas.

[Araraukar]

OOC: To anyone saying dysphoria is "only" a mental issue: of course it is, just like depression, anxiety, frustration, anger, joy and sadness. That doesn't mean it wasn't real or that it wasn't caused by a physical issue. The mind also affects the body; the mind and the body are so closely connected that only in modern times (with brain activity imaging and such) have we started to understand how closely. Imagine that connection being disharmonious, a source of constant mental pain. It causes depression and anxiety, which you can try and treat with medications and therapy all you want, but which won't help unless you fix what actually causes them, which is the misalignment of mind and body. And as we don't have a magical zapper wand to fix the mind, we must settle on fixing the body and then doing therapy to heal the connection between mind and matter.

Hormone therapy alone is rarely enough to fix everything; it should always be accompanied - but not replaced - with psychotherapy. It is, however, a good first step.

[Morover]

OOC: apologies for my overall mediocre formatting - I’m on mobile currently.

Please turn the periods at the end of your operative clauses into commas.

Alas, I got away with it for a long time. I prefer it, stylistically, when the operative clauses end in periods, and figured it was acceptable due to nobody bringing it up. I’ll fix that, I suppose.

[Araraukar]

OOC: apologies for my overall mediocre formatting - I’m on mobile currently.

Please turn the periods at the end of your operative clauses into commas.

Alas, I got away with it for a long time. I prefer it, stylistically, when the operative clauses end in periods, and figured it was acceptable due to nobody bringing it up. I’ll fix that, I suppose.

OOC: If the whole thing is meant to run as a single sentence, then use commas. If reach clause is its own sentence, then use periods.

[Riktoth]

Since the production cost of hrt is far less then that of puberty blockers some financially struggling countries might be more likely to debate cost.

Most people agree that surgery in minors aught to be of strict physical dependence, what separates face feminization surgery and cosmetic surgery is yet to be exactly defined as cosmetic surgery in transgender people can occur without dysphoria.
Also what makes breast reduction surgery medically necessary:mosty macromastia however that is the issue of cumbersomeness, and spine damage AND social interactions and comfort with oneself, these occur in trans men and boys
Once what is appropriate for a minor is settled the issue of timely intervention for treatment of minors is highlighted.
A fact I would like to address is that economic productivity in dysphoric individuals is made better by preventing puberty, the main forces in opposition of accessible transgender healthcare are Religion,Drug industries,Medical laws allowing refusal of service,often on the basis of free will and religion.

A scientific and legal problem is what defines intersex as it is a very loosely applied term and refers to many unrelated conditions, and the fact that many intersex people don't know that they are also becomes a problem legally if they want to undergo hrt or surgery.
a review of resolutions and what they state seems to be in order.

[Grenartia]

Since the production cost of hrt is far less then that of puberty blockers some financially struggling countries might be more likely to debate cost.

(OOC: Perhaps some sort of assistance fund for those nations?)

[Araraukar]

minors

OOC: The proposal at hand only concerns people able to consent to the treatment. That means adults and possibly the parents of minors (I say "possibly", because there's a previous resolution that would let parents force a 5-yo child to undergo breast enlargement surgery, if they can find a nation (doesn't have to be a WA nation) and surgeon willing to do that - due to their consent being counted over the consent of the below age-of-consent minor - and upon returning to home, can't be charged with child abuse, and this particular proposal can't contradict that resolution).

Since the production cost of hrt is far less then that of puberty blockers some financially struggling countries might be more likely to debate cost.

(OOC: Perhaps some sort of assistance fund for those nations?)

OOC: I would suggest against trying to do that in this particular proposal, as something like that sounds too useful to limit to a tiny slice of all medicines. I can't quite recall off the top of my head what the essential medications resolution says on the topic, but that might be worth checking.

[Grenartia]

minors

OOC: The proposal at hand only concerns people able to consent to the treatment. That means adults and possibly the parents of minors (I say "possibly", because there's a previous resolution that would let parents force a 5-yo child to undergo breast enlargement surgery, if they can find a nation (doesn't have to be a WA nation) and surgeon willing to do that - due to their consent being counted over the consent of the below age-of-consent minor - and upon returning to home, can't be charged with child abuse, and this particular proposal can't contradict that resolution).

(OOC: Perhaps some sort of assistance fund for those nations?)

OOC: I would suggest against trying to do that in this particular proposal, as something like that sounds too useful to limit to a tiny slice of all medicines. I can't quite recall off the top of my head what the essential medications resolution says on the topic, but that might be worth checking.

OOC: Wait, what resolution lets parents force BE on a 5 year old?

And the essential medications resolution only seems to deal with recreational drugs, and says nothing about a fund.