Commentary

The Missouri State Medical Association’s Dangerous Turn

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • March 2, 2023

Another state medical association is moving to embrace divisive ideology, threatening medical education and even endangering vulnerable children. First it was Oklahoma. Now it’s Missouri.

A tipster sent us details about the Missouri State Medical Association’s annual convention, which is scheduled for March 31st to April 2nd. That includes the resolutions the association will take up. The list includes:

  • Resolution #1 – Access to Gender-Affirming Surgery and Hormone Replacement Therapy for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Individuals 
  • Resolution #2 – Access to Puberty-Suppressing Hormone Blockers for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth 
  • Resolution #3 – Allowing Transgender and Gender-Diverse Individuals to Change Their Gender Marker on Birth Certificates
  • Resolution #9 – Opposing Bans on Medical School DEI Requirements

The first three resolutions are shocking, giving the rapidly growing body of evidence showing that transgender treatments for children engender their physical and mental health. That evidence has caused many European countries to abandon the very approach that the Missouri State Medical Association is supporting.

Figure 1. From Missouri State Medical Association House of Delegates, Resolution 1.

This also follows the horrifying revelations from a whistleblower at a Missouri children transgender center. She went public with the de facto child abuse she witnessed on a daily basis. Why is the association considering putting vulnerable children at continued risk? The final resolution is also concerning. State Rep. Ben Baker has introduced a bill that would roll back DEI requirements at Missouri’s public medical schools. This is essential to ensuring the quality of education and cultivating the best possible physicians who will provide the best possible care to all patients. Yet this medical association is apparently more concerned with promoting divisive ideology.

Figure 2. 2023 MSMA Convention General Session for March 31.

We’re already hearing from Missouri physicians who are deeply disturbed by their association’s radical turn. Many are considering resigning their membership, and no wonder. The Missouri State Medical Association should be focused on evidence-based medicine and improving people’s lives, instead of undermining these noble goals.