Just in time for Pride Month in June, the American Medical Association adopted two new policies at their annual meeting for LGBTQ persons that have absolutely nothing to do with practicing medicine.
The first policy deals with incarcerated transgendered people. The policy challenges what they call the status quo of prisons and jails in the United States that house transgender prisoners according to their birth or biological sex. The AMA urges that housing policies be changed to allow transgender prisoners to be placed in correctional facilities that are reflective of their affirmed gender status.
“The problem facing the safety and health of transgender prisoners is severe and well documented,” AMA Immediate Past Chair Patrice A. Harris, M.D. said. “Transgender prisoners are disproportionately the victims of sexual assault, suffering higher rates of sexual assault than general population inmates. The new AMA policy acknowledges that the increased rate of violence largely stems from transgender prisoners being housed based on their birth sex, and not according to their affirmed gender.”
As someone who has worked in juvenile and adult correctional facilities, this is a PREA incident waiting to happen. Especially since they also advocate policies that support the facilities that house transgender prisoners shall not be a form of administrative segregation or solitary confinement.
This is just plain nuts. The physicians who voted for this do not have one iota of a clue how to prevent prison rape. Yes, those struggling with gender dysphoria (how about a sound policy directed at treating rather than accommodating this?) are targets of sexual assault. Why? Because they are perceived as weak as prison sexual assault is all about establishing dominance and projecting power (as it is outside of prison as well). Do they think this will stop by putting biological women who identify as men in with male prisoners?
I submit it would exacerbate the problem. Also, it is just as problematic placing biological men who identify as female in with female prisoners except that they will more than likely be the predators rather than the victims.
The safest course of action is to segregate biological males suffering from gender dysphoria. If the AMA truly cared about safety rather than political correctness they would agree.
The second policy is calling for inclusive family and medical leave policies to support LGBTQ work who shoulder the care of relatives, spouses, partners and others.
“Physicians understand the day-to-day challenges and rewards for individuals who are helping to care for a loved one who needs help,” Harris said. “The new AMA policy signals that physicians support the need and benefit of policies for family and medical leave that are inclusive of LGBTQ workers.”
“Signal” is the right word, as in virtue signaling. They note that the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires employers with 50 or more employees to grant up to 12 weeks of unpaid annual leave to allow workers to care for a spouse, child, or parent (except in-laws) with a serious health condition, to take leave for personal health conditions, or to care for newly born or adopted children.
The new policy calls on the AMA to advocate for FMLA policies to include any individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.
Since the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision is this even an issue? Same-sex partners can marry and experience the same benefits that heterosexual married couples can. No, they want to expand the law to the point where “family” has no real meaning.
The American Medical Association continues to demonstrate it is utterly irrelevant to most doctors and nothing but a shill group for liberal policies.