{"id":41757,"date":"2025-05-02T05:50:20","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T10:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=41757"},"modified":"2025-05-02T05:51:04","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T10:51:04","slug":"hhs-breaks-with-major-u-s-medical-groups-in-review-of-pediatric-gender-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=41757","title":{"rendered":"HHS breaks with major U.S. medical groups in review of pediatric gender care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Department of Health and Human Services released a review<\/a> on Thursday that found that the quality of evidence regarding the effects of transition-related care for minors \u201cis very low,\u201d and that, as a result, many U.S. doctors have managed to unintentionally \u201cfail their patients\u201d by providing them with such care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA central theme of this Review is that many U.S. medical professionals and associations have fallen short of their duty to prioritize the health interests of young patients,\u201d the conclusion of the 409-page report states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The HHS review found that there is limited evidence regarding the effects of medical interventions for youth with gender dysphoria on \u201cpsychological outcomes, quality of life, regret, or long-term health.\u201d At the same time, it found that \u201cevidence for harms associated with pediatric medical transition in systematic reviews\u201d is \u201csparse,\u201d but said \u201cthis finding should be interpreted with caution\u201d because there are no studies that track and report harms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also sharply criticized the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, an international <\/strong>nonprofit made up of medical professionals <\/strong>that develops guidance regarding trans health care, arguing that its guidelines are biased and politically motivated. The HHS report alleges that WPATH has influenced U.S. medical associations to create a false perception that there is consensus regarding transition care for minors despite concerns from whistleblowers and detransitioners, or the relatively small number of people<\/a> who no longer identify as trans or regret transition care they received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The review also casts doubt on the increasing number of studies in recent years that have found a significant independent association between gender dysphoria<\/a> and suicide<\/a>, and on studies that<\/a> have linked access<\/a> to transition care<\/a> to improved mental health outcomes<\/a> for youth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The HHS review ultimately calls for psychotherapy as \u201ca noninvasive alternative to endocrine and surgical interventions for the treatment of pediatric gender dysphoria\u201d and for more research regarding the effects of exploratory psychotherapy on minors with gender dysphoria.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report marks the most recent escalation of the Trump administration\u2019s efforts to roll back access to transition-related care and other rights for trans people. President Donald Trump issued several executive orders targeting trans people during his first weeks in office, including one declaring there are only two unchangeable sexes assigned at birth, another banning trans people from serving or enlisting in the military and one prohibiting federal funding for hospitals that provide transition care to minors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The order regarding trans care for minors, signed on Jan. 28<\/a>, required HHS to publish a review of the existing literature on \u201cbest practices for promoting the health of children who assert gender dysphoria,\u201d the medical term for the distress caused by the misalignment between someone\u2019s birth sex and gender identity. The HHS review notes that it is \u201cnot a clinical practice guideline,\u201d which is meant to help clinicians and patients make decisions about care, \u201cand it does not issue legislative or policy recommendations.\u201d However, the review could still affect access to transition care for minors nationwide by adding fuel to the political firestorm surrounding it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The review\u2019s findings mark a significant break between the federal government and the stance of major U.S. medical associations \u2014 including the American Medical Association<\/a>, the American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a> and the American Psychological Association<\/a> \u2014 which support access to transition-related care for minors and oppose restrictions on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, the review was met with immediate backlash from medical associations and trans activists, who criticized its methods and lack of transparency. Most notably, HHS did not list any of the review\u2019s authors in what appears to be a break with protocol, as the names of authors are generally required to be included<\/a> on any scientific publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile this is a systematic review of the literature on this subject executed by experts in the field, the credibility of this report plummets in the mind of many folks in the scientific and medical communities because those experts are not named anywhere,\u201d said Dr. Morissa Ladinsky, a clinical professor of pediatrics at Stanford University\u2019s medical school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added that a scientific report of this kind generally also lists the names of the experts who peer-reviewed it, and this review does not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s unclear if the entire report was peer-reviewed or only a portion of it. A news release<\/a> issued by HHS on Thursday states: \u201cChapters of this review were subject to peer review prior to this publication, and a post-publication peer review will begin in the coming days involving stakeholders with different perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ladinsky said that is highly out of the ordinary, and that post-publication peer review generally only happens when there has been \u201cserious doubt cast\u201d on the findings of a study or report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for HHS, said the department “stands firm in its decision to withhold the names of the contributors to this report in order to protect them from intimidation tactics and undue pressure campaigns.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added, “These tactics aim to stifle thoughtful, evidence-based analysis, preventing contributors from making independent judgments and engaging in honest peer reviews.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the contributors’ names will be shared after the post-publication peer review is conducted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susan J. Kressly, the president, American Academy of Pediatrics, said the organization is \u201cdeeply alarmed\u201d by the report. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor such an analysis to carry credibility, it must consider the totality of available data and the full spectrum of clinical outcomes rather than relying on select perspectives and a narrow set of data,\u201d Kressly said in a statement. \u201cThis report misrepresents the current medical consensus and fails to reflect the realities of pediatric care.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The review also promotes \u201cexploratory psychotherapy,\u201d which refers to talk therapy as an alternative treatment to puberty blockers or hormone therapy. In this kind of therapy, therapists try to help youth \u201ccome to terms with their bodies,\u201d according to the review, or accept their birth sex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the nation\u2019s largest LGBTQ advocacy organizations \u2014 including GLAAD, an LGBTQ media advocacy organization, and The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ youth suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization \u2014 as well as medical experts who specialize in research regarding care for LGBTQ youth said \u201cexploratory psychotherapy\u201d is often another way of referring to \u201cconversion therapy,\u201d or a discredited practice that attempts to change someone\u2019s sexual orientation or gender identity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the argument they have been using for decades, and really it\u2019s conversion therapy light,\u201d said Doug Haldeman, a psychologist and professor of clinical psychology at John F. Kennedy University. \u201cWe are in an era where the administration has made it clear from the very first day that their wish is to erase trans identity altogether.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Haldeman, who is also the author of \u201cThe Case Against Conversion \u2018Therapy\u2019: Evidence, Ethics, and Alternatives,\u201d said there is years of research<\/a> showing that trying to get trans people to \u201caccept\u201d their birth sex has negative mental health outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The HHS review pushes back on equating \u201cexploratory\u201d therapy with so-called conversion therapy, arguing that all psychotherapy is \u201cexploratory by definition.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The review also mentions multiple \u201cwhistleblowers,\u201d or people who previously helped provide care to trans youth who have since denounced such care. It mentions Jamie Reed, a former case worker at the Transgender Center at the St. Louis Children\u2019s Hospital, who alleged in a 23-page affidavit<\/a> that children were being routinely prescribed puberty blockers or hormone therapy without \u201cappropriate or accurate\u201d mental health assessments. Her allegations were used by state lawmakers in support of legislation that eventually barred gender-affirming care for minors in the state of Missouri. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The review says that the concerns of whistleblowers have been \u201cdiscounted, dismissed, or ignored by prominent advocates and practitioners of pediatric medical transition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reed said that, \u201cas a named whistleblower in the report, and as a lesbian myself with insider knowledge of this field, I wholeheartedly agree with the conclusions\u201d of the review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGender medicine has been gay conversion therapy since the beginning,\u201d Reed said in a statement to NBC News. \u201cThe HHS review shares that history and concludes the practice raises \u2018serious justice-related concerns\u2019 because of the overrepresentation of LGB youth among patients. As a lifelong Democrat, I believe it is high time for bipartisan support to acknowledge the findings of this report.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ladinsky previously practiced as a pediatrician in Birmingham, Alabama, for 10 years, where she treated hundreds of trans adolescents until the state passed a ban on transition care for minors in 2022. The state is one of 25 that have enacted such restrictions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll of us on the front lines will tell you that in these 25 states where elements of the care is banned, we have yet to learn of one young person who is no longer transgender,\u201d Ladinsky said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nbcnews<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Department of Health and Human Services released a review on Thursday that found that the quality of evidence regarding the effects of transition-related care for minors \u201cis very low,\u201d and that, as a result, many U.S. doctors have managed to unintentionally \u201cfail their patients\u201d by providing them with such care. \u201cA central theme of this Review […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":41758,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5784],"tags":[4172,33145,1978,29795],"class_list":["post-41757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-hhs","tag-medical-team","tag-nursing","tag-pediatrics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41757"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41759,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41757\/revisions\/41759"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}