By: Angela Braun
A well-known practicioner specializing in the treatment of autism, Dr. Mark Geier, had his license supsended by the Maryland Board of Medicine last week for injecting autistic teens with Lupron, a testosterone-blocking agent used for suppressing sexual desire in jailed sex offenders. Geier allegedly used the drug inappropriately to curb the sexual desires of "precocious puberty" in some of his teen patients, resulting effectively in a sort of chemical castration. The Maryland board ruled Geier's practices amounted to quackery that "endangers autistic children and exploits their parents."
Investigation into Geier's strange treatment began when blogger and autism parent Kathleen Seidel began researching, questioning and writing about Geier's use of Lupron, which many in the autism advocacy community view as an inhumane and scientifically unsupported "chemical restraint." Seidel's work was largely responsible for the review of Dr. Geier's medical practices.
It's not known yet exactly how many autistic children have recieved Lupron treatment from Dr. Geier. According to the Baltimore Sun:
"It's hard to know how many children [Geier] and his son, who is not a doctor, have treated, but they have been outspoken in wanting to franchise their protocol. Alarmingly, the Geiers told The Chicago Tribune two years ago that they had injected 300 children and a few adults with Lupron and were testing 200 others for possible treatment. Geier is licensed to practice in 10 other states."
Sounds a bit like good old-fashioned eugenics to me. By the way, has anyone ever noticed that most psychiatric medications have decreased libido as a "side effect"?
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