A medical reckoning

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MYRNA BROWN, HOST: It’s Thursday the 5th of February.

Glad to have you along for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. 

Good morning, I’m Myrna Brown.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. First up: Protecting confused children.

Now we’re going to let this music go for several seconds to give you time to decide whether this story is appropriate for younger listeners.

The American Medical Association announced new guidance yesterday supporting restrictions on gender transition surgeries for minors. It joins the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, which issued a similar statement Tuesday.

That announcement followed a jury verdict last week in favor of a young woman rushed into a double mastectomy. Her doctors performed this surgery when she was just 16.

BROWN: Joining us now to talk about the latest in the battle against gender ideology is Prisha Mosley, an ambassador for the nonprofit organization Independent Women. She's also a detransitioner who has filed a lawsuit against her doctors as well. 

Welcome, and thank you for being here, Prisha.

PRISHA MOSLEY: Hi, thank you for having me.

Well, two stunning decisions just days apart. Let's start with the most recent from the American Medical Association. What was your reaction when you heard that recommendation?

MOSLEY: Gratitude and relief, um, a mixture of something like that. As someone who had this surgery myself when I had just turned 18, I still wasn't able to fully grasp what was happening to me. I'm grateful that hopefully children will be protected from what I went through.

Let's talk about your own journey. You alluded to it just moments ago. What was the timeline for you from confusion to medical interventions?

MOSLEY: So it was all really fast and quick for me, I started identifying as trans around 15 or 16 years old. I was indoctrinated online by trans identifying adults on the website Tumblr. Then when I was 16 years old, I started being medicalized with large doses of Depo Provera to stop my periods, and then within months, I was on large doses of testosterone, which, you know, viralized my body and caused a number of complications. And then a year later, at 18, I had both of my healthy breasts amputated.

Mm. You have spoken of being sexually assaulted and how, how that affected you and your mental health.

MOSLEY: Yeah, I experienced sexual assault, and it associated womanhood with my sexual assault. So you know, the trans identity sounded like an escape to me. It was a false hope, I have come to find out, but it offered what I was seeking when I was scared and vulnerable and I didn't know better.

Well on Friday, a New York jury awarded a young woman a $2 million settlement against the doctors who rushed her into a double mastectomy. The argument was that the victim was rushed into permanent surgery without proper communication and care. In your mind, what does that say about the work that's left to be done, you think?

MOSLEY: Well, I mean, I think it sets a good example and sheds a light on the fact that that's how it goes. It's very easy to obtain these letters that get you a recommendation for surgery. All you have to do is hate yourself while in the presence of a therapist who's willing to affirm and then they'll write you a letter, and you know... send it to the surgeon without a second thought.

You have been very open about sharing your most intimate scars. In describing your journey, you have said you killed a child and it was you. What a what a startling statement.

MOSLEY: Ultimately, I feel like the only thing my doctors promised me that came true was the death of the person I was then.

And I don't hate that person anymore, because I'm older and I realized that she was just hurt and struggling. But my face looks different, and I don't sound like her, and my body feels different to walk and move in. So it's just a really tragic loss of self.

You are a mother now—

MOSLEY: Yes!

—and congratulations! How old is your son?

MOSLEY: He just turned 19 months.

Wow, that's wonderful. I know that early on, you had fears about being able to feel him close to you because of your breast being surgically removed. What has surprised you about what you have been able to do as a mother, as his mother?

MOSLEY: Oh, I mean, there are other ways to feel close, and I have to realize that other parts of my body are valuable, and I have value far beyond my breasts. I mean, I think it's been really healing for me, and to see the way he views me; he doesn't think of me as less because someone operated on me and gave me anabolic steroids. He sees me as his mother.

Me personally, I can't imagine going through what you have gone through on my own without my faith. Are you a woman of faith?

MOSLEY: Yeah, I do have some of that. My faith has definitely gotten stronger, especially as people around me, often from the church or who are Christians, have supported me. I've had some help finding doctors who are willing to help me heal, and even had luck with specifically Christian doctors and organizations. So that's that's really been important to me, and I've been grateful for that. But I also have my partner who is an amazing father and wonderful to me.

Yes, that's a blessing. Prisha, I know this seems to be a very impassioned fight for you, and rightly so. 

So I'm curious, at what point will you think, “We've won and I can stop talking about it”?

MOSLEY: I mean, I don't think I'll ever be able to stop talking about it, because the damage that this ideology does is lifelong. I will be living with the scars of this ideology forever, and so will a lot of my peers. But I hope that one day I can be an old lady, and you know, someone will catch wind of the idea that my breasts were cut off, and the little kids will say, "What? Really? They cut off your breasts because you were sad? They gave you anabolic steroids because you hated yourself. No way, that sounds crazy." So by then, I think we'll be all right.

Prisha Mosley underwent medical interventions as a teenager during a period of gender confusion. She now speaks out against gender ideology with the group Independent Women. 

Thank you so much for being with us.

MOSLEY: Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate your time.

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