The ruling Social Democrats reacted positively to the proposal, while the right-wing opposition parties consider the proposed liberalisation a “slippery slope”, “utter madness”, and “an element of a truly poisonous ideology”. The Danish Ethics Council has recommended giving 10-12-year-old children the opportunity to legally change their gender.
The idea is that the change of certificate of health assurance will help combat gender dysphoria, that is the condition of those who feel uncomfortable with their assigned gender at birth. Furthermore, the initial stages of gender reassignment often begin at this age.
“Children at this age most often already have a clear idea of what gender they belong to, in contrast to very young children, whose perception of gender is more flexible and ambiguous. It is at this age that the treatment of transgender children who want to change their sex begins”, Anne-Marie Aksø Gerdes, who chairs the Danish Ethics Council, told the newspaper Berlingske.
According to Anne-Marie Axsø Gerdes, the Danish Ethics Council listened to the families and children concerned, as well as the experts on the topic. The council, however, also recommended doing more research, as very little is known so far. For instance, there is scant information on how many children regret legal gender reassignment, which several Nordic nations, including Finland and Sweden have been sounding the alarm about.
Read More: Slippery Slope’: Danish Ethics Council Recommends Legal Gender Change for 10-Year-Olds
