They said: “We are gravely concerned about the changes proposed by the Scottish Government’s Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.“
“The bill introduces a system of self-identification, allowing a person to change their legal sex without the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria or having to consult a doctor. Removing this requirement and denying the important medical oversight that goes with it will inevitably reduce the opportunity for crucial health care, support, and protection for vulnerable individuals, including children.”
Critics of the bill are particularly concerned that the new legislation lowers the age of gender transition from 18 to 16 years old. The bishops emphasized their worries about the safety of women and children in particular.
“Children must be protected from making permanent legal declarations about their gender, which may lead to irreversible elective interventions, including surgery,” they said.
“Lowering the minimum age from 18 to 16 and introducing a system of self-identification will put more children and young people on this path. Our concerns are amplified by the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics intervention, which has described the bill as ‘unsafe’ and likely to harm young people.
“Women’s organizations also have recorded their own concerns about the bill, principally that the proposed reforms will increase risks to the safety of women and girls by men self-declaring as female and accessing women-only spaces. There are also real concerns that the proposals will mean a female health care practitioner will no longer be guaranteed for women and girls, even when it is requested.”
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