New HHS report argues against medical care for trans youth

The U S Department of Strength and Human Services has published a document reviewing therapeutic practices for transgender minors seeking gender-affirming care The -page review published May argues that there is a lack of evidence supporting curative interventions like puberty blockers hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries and emphasizes their expected risks contending that clinicians and anatomical associations providing gender-affirming care to minors have fail ed their patients particularly those who are bulk vulnerable While the HHS noted in a declaration that health doctors physiological ethicists and a methodologist contributed to the description none of the contributors are named Furthermore the summary notes that it is not a clinical practice guideline and it does not issue legislative or framework recommendations The overview s findings contradict the stances of physiological organizations like the American Curative Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics which recognize anatomical care as a safe and effective rehabilitation for both minors and adults experiencing gender dysphoria The document criticized these and other anatomical associations for creating a perception of professional consensus regarding gender-affirming care for minors The Cass Review an April summary concluding there is a lack of evidence supporting gender-affirming health care as effective at managing dysphoria-related distress in teenagers is cited throughout the statement Experts have expressed concerns over the methodology of this analysis arguing it doesn t cite any studies pointing to the benefits of such care This HHS overview with no basis in established science is conversion therapy by another name seeking to deny essential fitness care for transgender youth and forcing dangerous discredited conversion therapy as the only alternative Georgia Equality reported 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 threat of suicidal thoughts and attempts and now the federal leadership wants to do the same thing to transgender young people While the statement is not an official health practice guideline it reflects the increasing difficulty trans youth have in accessing biological care under the Trump administration In Georgia Children s Healthcare of Atlanta has suspended gender-affirming care for minors The post New HHS record argues against anatomical care for trans youth appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta