Major U.S. hospitals co-conducting study on the ‘mental health benefits’ of puberty blockers

TUPELO, Miss. — The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), an agency of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been co-conducting a study with three major U.S. hospitals, recruiting gender-transitioning children in order to study the “mental health benefits” of puberty blockers. Since the beginning of the study in 2021, researchers have been aiming to uncover the effects of puberty blockers on the mental health of transgender children over time, with children as young as eight years old participating in the study.

In the interest of Children’s National, one of the three major hospitals participating in the study, the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League is soliciting parents of young children enrolled in their K-8 program, Little SMYALs, which persuades children as young as six years old to identify as “transgender.”

Walker Wildmon, CEO of AFA Action, the governmental affairs affiliate of the American Family Association is calling out the NIH for conducting a harmful study that is putting the natural development of young children at risk.

“The NIH’s decision to fund a study on the use of puberty blockers in children as young as eight is not only irresponsible and dangerous, but also a direct assault on God’s design for boys and girls and men and women,” says Wildmon. “This reckless use of taxpayer dollars to push an unproven, harmful agenda to experiment on vulnerable children is morally reprehensible. Our children must be protected from these reckless experimentations rooted in harmful ideologies. Instead of causing untold harm to young people, the NIH should be protecting the innocence and natural development of our nation’s children. This is exhibit A as to why we need new leadership in Washington.”

AFA Action is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to advancing biblical, family values in society and government by educating and influencing public policy. The mission of AFA Action is to inform and mobilize individuals to strengthen the biblical foundations of America by persuading individuals with the truth of the Gospel, challenging the lost to repent, promoting societal values that are consistent with Scripture, restraining evil and exposing the works of darkness, motivating people to take a stand on cultural and moral issues, and encouraging Christians to bear witness to the world the love of Jesus Christ. Find AFA Action Alerts here. 

For more information on the American Family Association, visit www.afa.net or follow AFA on Facebook or Twitter @AmericanFamAssc.        

For more information on AFA Action, visit www.afaaction.net or follow AFA Action on Facebook or Twitter.

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To interview an AFA or AFA Action spokesperson, contact [email protected] or Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.