Dr. Paul Hruz, a pediatric endocrinologist who has written previously about the lack of science behind transgender therapy for children, appeared on “The Ingraham Angle” Friday night to discuss the issue.

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“It’s fairly important to recognize that what is being put forward with the goal of truly helping these individuals that are suffering is based on very poor science and any effort to draw attention to the poor science and the potential very negative and serious consequences that these hormonal interventions really has not been given the attention they deserve,” Hruz said, responding to Fox News host Laura Ingraham’s question about why so little attention has been given to the other side of the issue.

“And the kids under the age of 18, who have not fully developed, even people who have gone through puberty, their sexual maturity in most cases hadn’t been reached, correct doctor, until maybe 23, 24, 25 years of age?” Ingraham asked.

Hruz agreed, then added that puberty and adolescence can be adversely effected by such therapies, thereby subjecting them “to the need of medical intervention that has potential [for] very serious harms to their bodies throughout the rest of their life without even considering whether there are alternative options to help them and even recognizing that a large number of children that question their gender identity are going to, if merely left alone, are going to realign their identity with their biological sex.”

Ingraham noted studies that show “85% to 90% of children no longer experience feelings of gender dysphoria after having gone through puberty.” (RELATED: Female Olympic Swimmer Decries ‘Injustice’ Of Transgender Athletes

“In your mind is that a correct figure?” she asked.

“The estimates vary, but it’s the majority,” Hruz responded.

The doctor added the “concerning” fact that trying to interfere with normal puberty using therapy can often cause children to “persist in that transgender identity, really changing that statistic drastically from the normal trajectory we normally see.”

The two then discussed the growth of centers devoting resources to transgenderism and reassignment surgery, with Hruz offering his concerns about the prevailing approach:

Well, it’s actually over 50 now, and really the amazing concern about the growth of this particular approach to dealing with children that have this transgendered identity is to adopt a single intervention that’s based on very, very poor quality science. And even those that are advocating for this intervention, that are involved in this intervention for children, will acknowledge that the science really has not been done to really establish what the long-term effects are and already the data that’s coming forward raises serious concerns. Not only how these children are going to normally move through the developmental stages and their identity, but the effects of the hormonal treatment on the body.

“These children are very much being harmed,” he added.

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