The president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) – which claims to be “dedicated to the health of all children” – said in a statement that her organization is “deeply alarmed” by a report released Thursday by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on its “comprehensive review” of “best practices” for the treatment of gender confusion in children.
HHS found “significant risks” and “irreversible harms” in the subjection of children to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical procedures to address gender dysphoria.
“This report misrepresents the current medical consensus and fails to reflect the realities of pediatric care,” said Susan J. Kressly, M.D.
“As we have seen with immunizations, bypassing medical expertise and scientific evidence has real consequences for the health of America’s children,” Kressly stated, arguing that her organization “was not consulted in the development of this report, yet our policy and intentions behind our recommendations were cited throughout in inaccurate and misleading ways.”
Kressly claimed HHS’ report amounts to political interference in the “physician-patient relationship.”
In an article published at “AAP News,” the group condemned President Donald Trump’s “January 28 executive order on gender-affirming care, which he refers to as ‘chemical and surgical mutilation,’” and an update on April 28 in which he “touts the elimination of $477 million in related research grant funding, making plans to remove gender-affirming care as a covered benefit for the children of federal employees and exploring ways to increase access to detransition care.”
“The AAP remains focused on supporting pediatricians in delivering the best possible care to every child, informed by science and the lived experiences of patients and families,” Kressly added. “We will continue to support the well-being of all children and access to high-quality care that meets their needs.”
Other establishment medical organizations supportive of the transgender industry’s medical treatment of gender confusion in children joined with AAP in stating “physicians should not be criminalized or penalized for providing” these medical interventions and that “medical standards of care and physician education training and education must remain evidence-based and free from political interference.”
“We support our members and will continue to advocate for access to the full spectrum of evidence-based health care and medical education,” argued the groups, which, in addition to AAP, include:
- The American Academy of Family Physicians
- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- The American College of Physicians
- The American Osteopathic Association
- The American Psychiatric Association
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, nevertheless, referred Sunday to the HHS report as “absolutely fantastic” and told Fox News the claim by “gender-affirming care” providers that medical treatments to allow children to “transition” will prevent suicide is actually based on “very, very weak evidence.”
He noted as well that the claim that hormone blocking and surgical procedures are reversible “is also false.”
Asked how the Biden administration allowed HHS and NIH to get to the point of actually promoting “gender-affirming care,” Bhattacharya replied he believes “the issue is group think.”
“The scientific establishment has closed ranks around itself and prohibited dissent, and didn’t allow people to say, ‘Are you sure the evidence is good?’” he said. “In the Trump administration, it is the exact opposite. One of the things I’m most proud of that I have done at the NIH so far is to bring back academic freedom,” which includes allowing dissenting views, he added.
Meanwhile, the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) celebrated HHS’ review.
“Today’s report confirms what we have warned since 2011— transgender interventions on minors, including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries, cause irreversible harm,” said ACPeds President Dr. Michael Artigues.
“These practices defy decades of science on child development,” he added. “Puberty is not a disease— its absence is. Medicine must do no harm. We call on leading medical organizations to promote policies that align with the findings of this report.”