It’s puberty-blocking drugs—not puberty itself—that require consent. Even so, children can’t possibly understand the long-term effects and implications of synthetic hormones that pause a critical physiological process like puberty. Adults should be responsible for the welfare of their children, but sadly, too many have been deceived by society’s infatuation with transgender ideology.

The United Kingdom recently banned providing puberty blockers to minors. These drugs “pause” puberty, giving gender dysphoric minors time to “decide” whether they want to be a boy or girl. The British court reasoned, “It is highly unlikely that a child aged 13 or under would be competent to give consent to the administration of puberty blockers.” This makes sense. How can a child understand the long-term risks and consequences of taking synthetic hormones that stop the body from producing testosterone and estrogen, thereby preventing puberty and maturation?

Naturally, transgender advocates were in an uproar over the decision. Many took to news outlets, articles, and social media to express their outrage. Though their criticisms were unpersuasive, one particular response was especially absurd. Upset that the British court claimed children couldn’t consent to puberty blockers, one Reddit user responded with the following: “Then how…are they able to consent to puberty? Puberty is more serious of a decision and requires more maturity than blockers.” In other words, puberty is riskier than the drugs that block it.

Ridiculous as it is, this type of reasoning isn’t novel. Abortion-choice advocates have long offered similar arguments in defense of their view. Pregnancy, they claim, is a dangerous condition, and giving birth is more dangerous than abortion. They often list a myriad of complications that can possibly arise after a woman conceives. The bottom line is that pregnancy and childbirth are dangerous, so women should have access to abortion.

The view that treats puberty and pregnancy as undesirable processes stems from a more fundamental shift in thinking. Society has slowly abandoned the Christian worldview and its theistic implications. If there’s no God, then there’s no Creator who made our bodies to operate in a certain way. Organs don’t have a teleology—a way that they’re designed to function. If there’s no design, no standard, or no optimal way for organs to operate, then there can be no substandard or less-than-optimal way they function. A uterus can gestate a fetus or not. It can grow fibroids or not. It can be kept in a woman’s body or removed.

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