May 08, 2024

GLP podcast: Assessing the Cass report; Fetal genome surgery could treat disease during pregnancy; How ‘body-tracking data’ threatens privacy

49 minutes

The recently released Cass report has intensified an already ferocious debate over gender-affirming care for children. What are the key takeaways from the controversial review? An emerging field of medicine known as fetal genome surgery could allow doctors to prevent serious genetic disorders before children are born. Our health and ancestry data is increasingly tracked and shared today. Could governments and corporations use this sensitive information against us?

Podcast:

Join hosts Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 265 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

* Viewpoint: Once greatly critical of those using unregulated medications, liberals now endorse unregulated puberty blocking drugs for kids as young as 10. Should we end this dangerous ‘experiment’?

The recently released Cass report has raised some critical questions about so-called gender-affirming care for minors. Among its many findings, the 388-page review concluded that some of the effects of puberty blockers are not reversible; that gender incongruence among children is normal and doesn't necessitate transitioning; and that sex reassignment does not reduce the risk of suicide in transgender children. How will the incendiary review impact the ongoing cultural debate over transgenderism?

* Saving human lives: Using gene therapy and fetal surgery to cure diseases in the womb

Gene editing has already yielded groundbreaking therapies for conditions ranging from sickle cell disease to cancer. In the coming years, the same technology may allow physicians to prevent genetic disorders during pregnancy, long before they can cause harm later in life. Known as "fetal genome surgery," this nascent field has generated lots of excitement among scientists. Can it live up to all the hype?

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* Viewpoint: ‘Body-tracking data is so much a part of our daily lives that we sometimes forget it can be used against us’
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By Cameron English

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