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This project will conduct a systematic, normative ethics review on the question: “Should transgender and gender diverse youth make their own decisions regarding gender affirming medical interventions?
The aim of this normative systematic ethics review is (1) to synthesise discourse-typical, science-based ethical pros and cons related to the question of whether trans and gender diverse youth should make their own decisions regarding gender affirming interventions and (2) to critically examine the available evidence. Supporting this, (3) a critical review of ethically relevant, evidence-based descriptive data regarding gender affirmative interventions in this population is necessary.
The scientific discourse on gender affirmative interventions with adolescent trans and gender diverse patients is characterised by positive and sceptical assessments regarding ethical legitimacy.
Normative review – related to the ethical legitimacy of decision-making power of transgender and genderdiverse adolescents in gender-affirmative interventions: (1) Which pro- and con-arguments/conclusions/recommendations regarding decision-making power can be summarised, typified and differentiated?
Descriptive review – related to the population of transgender and gender diverse adolescents: (1) What gender affirmative interventions are being implemented with these adolescents? (2) What study designs are being used? (3) What patient-relevant outcomes are collected or measured? (4) What evidence is there on the effectiveness, benefits and harms of the interventions?
Synthesis – Finally, analyse: (1) What descriptive information is used to support the pros and cons? (2) Which pro- and contra-arguments are to be critically classified as ethically legitimate and weighed against each other. (3) What are the conclusions and recommendations?
Normative data are text and opinion data as well as recommendations/guidelines with clearly identified methodology.
Descriptive data will be reviewed as well as clinical and social science studies.
Normative review: A systematic review of normative texts and opinions (normative records) is carried out. For this purpose, Qualitative Content Analysis and Qualitative Comparative Analysis are used to create typical normative, argumentative pro and contra profiles. (2)
Descriptive Review: Based on the descriptive data supporting the respective pro- and contra-arguments, a systematic, critical review of the thematically relevant studies is elaborated. (3)
Synthesis: The normative arguments are analysed and weighted in light of the descriptive body of evidence. Based on this, the normative body of evidence is synthesised.