Therapy ban?

Transgender association accuses Nehammer of “abuse”

Chancellor Karl Nehammer's understanding of child protection is not entirely congruent with the ideas of transgender people.(Bild: APA/MAX SLOVENCIK)

Transgender people are horrified by the Federal Chancellor's "Austria Plan". In the area of child protection, ÖVP leader Karl Nehammer wants a ban on hormone treatments under the age of 18, unless there are medical reasons. The NGO TransX accuses Nehammer of wanting to mistreat transgender minors.

The tax reform plans and the ÖVP's integration policy were the subject of much discussion before and after the presentation of the "Austria Plan", which is seen by political scientists and media experts as an unofficial campaign kick-off for the national elections. Now the chancellor's party's "child protection package" is also being criticized.

ÖVP: "Hype surrounding gender issues and ideologies"
In this context, the ÖVP speaks of a "current hype surrounding gender issues and ideologies", which represent a major challenge for minors. Because: "There is a risk that minors will be tempted to take advantage of questionable therapies - with unforeseeable consequences for their future lives." The Nehammer party wants to ban these "medically and ethically" controversial therapies for people under the age of 18. Unless it is a medically necessary intervention.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer's understanding of child protection is not entirely congruent with the ideas of transgender people.(Bild: APA/MAX SLOVENCIK)

Key points of the "Austria Plan"

• Tax burden: Nehammer wants to lower the first tax bracket, make overtime tax-free and abolish all fees and taxes on the first home.
• Equal rights: His push to ban gendering from public administration also caused some debate.
• Climate: Nehammer wants tougher penalties for climate offenders. When it comes to environmental protection, he relies on "common sense" and remains true to his narrative of Austria as a "car country": instead of bans or "excessive regulations", Nehammer promises "green mobility".
• Performance: After four years of global crises, Nehammer wants to return to a social market economy. To achieve this, he promises the economy less bureaucracy, regulations and a stronger capital market.
• Integration: "If you want to live in Austria, you have to live according to our values" and "Integration means adaptation", as stated in the "Austria Plan".

TransX chairwoman Eva Fels now accuses the Chancellor of not having "seriously addressed" the issue. She points out that, according to the current legal situation, only fully and partially reversible hormonal interventions are possible up to the age of 18, and emphasizes: "The assumption that children are being driven by 'hype' to undergo hormone treatment is absurd.

Transgender people: "Suicide often the only way out"
Those who want to ban hormonal treatments for minors know nothing of the suffering that children go through "when their bodies develop in a way they don't want to be, in a way they are not. Suicide often appears to be the only way out," Fels continued. In a statement on Monday, she called on Nehammer's party colleagues to reject "this inhumane, transphobic policy".