Sex change, the anger of mothers after the ministry’s criticism of Careggi: “In case of stop my daughter will kill herself”

They speak slowly, their voices weakened by fear, by the terror that in Italy the use of triptorelin will be banned, the drug that interrupts pubertal development while waiting to decide whether to proceed with the sex change. “If my daughter stops taking that medicine she will kill herself,” says one mother.

The inspection and report

The Florentine hospital of Careggi is the most important center for the administration of triptorelin. Ended up at the center of a question from Senator Maurizio Gasparri, he received a visit from inspectors from the Ministry of Health in January. Their report, also sent to the Florentine prosecutor’s office which opened an investigation, is not yet known but Gasparri read the response received from the minister Orazio Schillaci which speaks of “very significant critical elements”, because there would be a lack of neuropsychiatric assistance and because communications to AIFA on the use of the drug would not have been made. But the details of the inspectors’ findings are not known.

“What will happen to us?”

All the noisy political debate, the commissions of inquiry, the questions, the technical discussions, the battles between the parties with press releases are like a terrible Moloch for the families of the children followed by Careggi. The often ideological positions clash with the real-life anguish of a few dozen people, who face daily problems with children who, from a very young age, turn off the light when they take a shower so as not to see each other naked. A confusion that makes us fear for the future: “And if they close everything, what will happen to us?”.

Many are already thinking about the future, like Maria (all names are fictitious), who plans to move to Spain to continue her daughter’s drug treatment. “Many people are thinking about it, for the week we have been making contact with centers in that country and others”.

“The kids are worried too”

Anna is from Rome and she says that her daughter, born a boy and now thirteen years old, would kill herself if she stopped taking the drug. “You started two years ago, how could you find yourself with the first hairs in your beard in a few months? Among other things, I tried, like the other parents, to keep her out of this affair but she discovered everything about her on social media, and she is very worried.” Anna’s daughter was first followed at San Camillo, then she arrived in Florence. “We understood which path to take very early, when she was 2 or 3 years old. What many of those who speak these days don’t understand is that the process in Careggi is very long. There are periodic checks, each time you have to have an interview with the psychologist and an endocrinological visit. Many tests are carried out, blood and other, such as bone densitometry. Years pass before triptorelin is prescribed and in fact Careggi has the reputation of being very slow. Imagine that so many families are complaining. And instead reading certain statements it seems that the medicine is given to everyone immediately.”

Anna and her daughter were in Careggi two days after the ministry inspection, which was on 23 and 24 January. “We didn’t understand what was happening. I want to hope that the therapies are not interrupted, we are in a situation of desperation. They don’t want to understand that these are life-saving drugs.”

Anger at the lack of news

People come to Careggi from all over Italy. “We have suffered cruelty – adds Lucia – They decided to panic families who have children with problems. And see how they handled everything? We are here waiting for official answers on what will happen to the hospital and its clinic and the first information we receive comes from a gazebo in a square.” The reference is to the Forza Italia tent, in the Cure district of Florence, next to which Gasparri read Schillaci’s response to his question on Saturday.