The article criticizes Supreme Court Justices Alito and Barrett for undermining the principle of originalism by dismissing expert consensus in favor of ideological and political motives, highlighting a hypocrisy in their reliance on professional opinion when it suits their outcomes, despite their criticism of such consensus in other contexts.
Supreme Court conservatives expressed skepticism towards medical consensus on LGBTQ+ issues, particularly regarding conversion therapy and gender-affirming care, revealing a distrust of medical expertise and highlighting ongoing ideological and political divisions over LGBTQ+ rights and healthcare.
The Alabama Supreme Court's recent ruling that all embryos are "children" under state law has raised questions about the definition of "personhood" and could have legal ramifications for IVF doctors and patients. Medical and scientific consensus worldwide disagrees with this ruling, stating that embryos are cells capable of creating life rather than consisting of actual life. The determination of when personhood begins and what should be defined as an embryo has been evolving globally, with differing definitions and perspectives. The ruling has sparked concerns about the impact on access to fertility treatment, the destruction of unused embryos in IVF, and potential future legal and ethical implications.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) has rejected multiple panels featuring leading European psychologists discussing Europe's move away from chemical interventions for children with gender dysphoria, raising concerns about the politicization of American medicine and highlighting a clinical divide between the United States and much of the world. The panels would have presented data on the more cautious treatment approach taken by Finland, Sweden, and England, which restrict access to puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. The rejection of these panels suggests a lack of willingness to consider alternative viewpoints within the AACAP, and raises questions about the influence of activist doctors on medical consensus.