This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A father is suing health officials in the United Kingdom for scheduling a body-mutilating surgery on his 21-year-old autistic son, charging the health industry to push the patient into the transgender ideology without exploring the multiple mental health issues involved.
According to a report from the Christian Institute, targeted with the pending legal action the nation's National Health Service.
"The man, known as 'Parent A,' said his son has prescribed puberty blockers at 16 and referred for genital surgery aged 19, but child and adult gender services never thoroughly explored his history of mental health issues or autism."
Joining the father in the legal action is Ritchie Herron, a man who previously went through "transition" surgeries to live as a woman, and now is detransitioning.
Parent A, in the legal case, explained, "It is structurally unfair to people like my son, whose autism makes him more likely to seek the answer to his problems in this radical treatment. He needs more protection not less."
He noted although his son is 21, he's also developmentally delayed and is acting more as if he's 16 or 17.
Paul Conrathe, a lawyer working with Parent A, charged, "It is deeply concerning that there is such limited protection for young adults – and especially those on the autistic spectrum. Vulnerable young people are steered down a pathway of infertility and lifelong irreversible change.
"Clinicians who dare challenge the journey risk professional discipline for conversion therapy. The system is profoundly and dangerously broken. This judicial review will shine a light on a deeply concerning medical practice that has evaded scrutiny," he said.
Herron charged that had he been assessed for issues including autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder, "he would never have undergone 'sex-change' surgery at 30 years of age."
"I refused the surgery several times. All the professionals were saying I am an ideal candidate, they’re all saying that I am a transsexual. I didn’t believe surgery was the solution until they implanted that idea. But when you’re obsessive, autistic, depressed, and anxious surely you’re not an ideal candidate for surgery. You cannot just operate on mentally ill people. It’s not ethical."
A report from the Telegraph noted that the scandal-ridden Tavistock Center, which for years has promoted transgenderism to nearly all comers, also was involved.
The report said the body-mutilating surgery is scheduled for Saturday.
The case charges that children who are directed to NHS Gender Identity Clinics are scheduled for only two appointments before being placed on "a pathway toward irreversible lifelong treatment."
Parent A explained at age 13 his son abruptly announced he was trans. He was given puberty blockers – against his father's wishes.
"I was shocked that such an experimental treatment would be given, despite my objections, due to deep concerns about harmful side effects and it almost inevitably leading on to cross-sex hormones so easily and quickly," he said.
However, he noted that no medical professional examined the "mental health issues, a history of bullying, anxiety and the impact of autism" on his son.
When the father tried to stop his son from going for treatments, authorities warned they would remove his parental rights.
The case seeks "a judicial review against the service specifications that determine how patients are treated and are calling for the Cass Review into gender services for children and young people to be broadened to include all adults under 25," the report said.
