New HHS report argues against medical care for trans youth
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released a report reviewing medical practices for transgender minors seeking gender-affirming care.
The 400-page review, published May 1, argues that there is a lack of evidence supporting medical interventions like puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgeries and emphasizes their potential risks, contending that clinicians and medical associations providing gender-affirming care to minors have “fail[ed] their patients – particularly those who are most vulnerable.”
While the HHS said in a statement that medical doctors, medical ethicists, and a methodologist contributed to the report, none of the contributors are named. Furthermore, the report notes that it “is not a clinical practice guideline, and it does not issue legislative or policy recommendations.”
The report’s findings contradict the stances of medical organizations like the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, which recognize medical care as a safe and effective treatment for both minors and adults experiencing gender dysphoria. The report criticized these and other medical associations for “creating a perception of professional consensus” regarding gender-affirming care for minors.
The Cass Review, an April 2024 report concluding there is a lack of evidence supporting gender-affirming medical care as effective at managing dysphoria-related distress in teenagers, is cited throughout the report. Experts have expressed concerns over the methodology of this report, arguing it doesn’t cite any studies pointing to the benefits of such care.
“This [HHS] report, with no basis in established science, is conversion therapy by another name– seeking to deny essential health care for transgender youth and forcing dangerous, discredited conversion therapy as the only alternative,” Georgia Equality said in a press release. “Historically, conversion therapy has been used for decades to shame gay kids into hating themselves, resulting in real harms, such as anxiety, depression, and increased risk of suicidal thoughts and attempts– and now the federal government wants to do the same thing to transgender young people.”
While the report is not an official medical practice guideline, it reflects the increasing difficulty trans youth have in accessing medical care under the Trump administration. In Georgia, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has suspended gender-affirming care for minors.
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