Belgian Parents Sue Hospital Over Rushed Medical Transition Following Teen's Death
Lawsuit cites inadequate assessment and same-day hormone prescription after single consultation — by Hermes Postma
Last week, Belgium was shocked by the news that Aero, a trans-identified 18-year-old, had died by suicide after beginning medical transition last year. Television coverage on VTM, Belgium’s largest television channel, brought national attention to the case.
According to the parents, everything happened extremely quickly. Aero was given the go-ahead for testosterone treatment in March 2024 after just one meeting with the head of the gender clinic and one session with a psychologist. A prescription was issued on the same day, and the first dose of testosterone was administered just two days later.
Lawsuit and Top Lawyer Walter Van Steenbrugge
Aero’s parents are angry that treatment began after a consultation lasting barely 50 minutes. They are also questioning whether any alternatives to medical intervention were considered. Following Aero’s tragic death, the parents filed a complaint against AZ Groeninge Hospital in Kortrijk with the support of lawyer Walter Van Steenbrugge, who frequently takes on media-focused and controversial cases.
The lawsuit concerns possible involuntary manslaughter or criminal negligence. The parents claim that the hospital displayed gross negligence by conducting insufficient psychological screening and failing to properly assess the family’s medical history. They also claim that the hospital was too quick to start medical treatment involving potentially dangerous hormone injections.
Co-morbidities Underlying Vulnerability in 18–24-Year-Olds
The diagnosis that set Aero on a rapid path of treatment failed to consider previously identified psychological issues. Initiating such powerful hormone treatments without proper screening is dangerous and irresponsible, especially for young adults. The case raises questions about safety and prudence. Testosterone injections can cause severe mood swings, aggression, cardiovascular risks, and hormonal imbalances, especially when started without proper medical monitoring. The drug can influence impulsiveness, mood, and decision-making, potentially increasing the risk of self-harm. Aero’s case demonstrates that, in potentially life-threatening scenarios, theoretical standards are often merely a paper reality.
Professor Guy T’Sjoen of UZ Gent, a prominent member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) who is frequently consulted about transgender care in Flanders, agrees. He criticizes the rapid treatment of Aero: “No one in that age group should start hormones after just one session with a psychologist.” T’Sjoen emphasizes that his own clinic in Ghent adheres to a thorough, multidisciplinary approach involving multiple psychological and psychiatric consultations that address underlying disorders in accordance with recognized standards of care.
But is this even the case at T’Sjoen’s clinic?
Diagnosis and the Genspect Family and Friends Survey
Aero’s parents say that as their child had come of age, they were not involved in the diagnostic process at all. The hospital did not consider the parents’ knowledge of their child, nor did they conduct a proper family history assessment.
T’Sjoen’s clinic in Gent is formally committed to performing comprehensive heteroanamneses (medical histories of a patient as told by another person, typically a parent). However, responses to Genspect Family and Friends Survey, which was released earlier this year in collaboration with Cry for Recognition to support informed consent, suggest that parents’ voices are not heard at this clinic either and appear to have no impact on treatment decisions. This calls into question T’Sjoen’s claim that UZ Gent acts carefully. Parental input, it would seem, is a mere administrative formality. Parents may be involved for appearances’ sake, but the vital knowledge and observations they can provide are often simply overridden by a child’s self-declaration.
Far-Reaching Implications for Standards of Care
The parents’ lawsuit and the Genspect Family and Friends Survey could have far-reaching implications. Appropriate care that first does no harm requires a proper heteroanamnesis. Evidence-based care cannot be provided if next of kin are ignored, especially when parents or family members question the patient’s statements.
If Aero’s treatment is found to have been negligent, this could set a precedent and expose other Belgian institutions to legal liability. The repercussions for protocols, responsibility, and the wider field of transgender care could be considerable.
Need for Accountability
Aero’s case is tragic, but it also has wider implications. It has the potential to spark a fundamental debate on the thoroughness of diagnostics, the weight of parental input, and the legal consequences of mistakes. The Genspect Family and Friends Survey provides parents with a tool to defend against a one-sided medical approach—and Aero’s case tragically shows that such a defense can literally be a matter of life and death.
Hospitals must be held accountable for negligently embarking on precipitous medical interventions. A lack of proper monitoring and disregard for parental input raises legal and societal concerns. Protocols must be revised, and parents’ essential insights must be valued. Given the current protocols and the absence of scientific evidence demonstrating that treatment consistently improves quality of life, so-called gender-affirmative care poses an unacceptable risk to patients.
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Wpath doesn't require an assessment for 18+, right? In the US there's the informed consent model, get drugs over the phone. No mental health assessment needed .
And....have they tracked outcomes to see if these interventions are beneficial long term, and for whom? Based on the assessments?