By Megan Henry
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador – along with attorneys general and officials from 20 other U.S. states, including Ohio AG Dave Yost – accused the American Academy of Pediatrics of possible “violations of state consumer protection statutes” in connection with its standards and recommendations for care gender dysphoria for children.
In a letter sent Tuesday by the Labrador Republican, the attorney general requested information detailing the Academy’s evidence on its current recommendations on puberty blockers for youth diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
“What is most disturbing is that the AAP claims that the use of puberty blockers in children is safe and reversible.” Labrador’s office said in a news release. “This claim is not supported by evidence and therefore may violate consumer protection laws in most states.”
Children suffering from gender dysphoria “need and deserve love, support and medical care rooted in biological reality,” Labrador said in the release.
“It is shameful that the most basic principle of medicine – do no harm – has been abandoned by professional associations under political pressure,” Labrador said. “These organizations sacrifice the health and well-being of children using medically unsupported treatments that leave lasting damage.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics, an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, in August voted to reaffirm its 2018 policy statement on gender-affirming care and approved the development of an expanded set of guidelines for pediatricians.
The organization could not immediately be reached for comment. However, at the organization’s August 2024 Leadership Conference in Itasca, Illinois, American Academy of Pediatrics CEO and Executive Vice President Mark Del Monte emphasized that the organization believes the principles outlined in the original policy statement: “Providing comprehensive care and support for transgender and gender diverse children and youth“they remain in the best interests of the children,” says an August 4 press release from the academy.
The decision to authorize the systematic review reflects the academy’s board’s concerns about restrictions on access to health care that include bans on gender-affirming care in more than 20 states, according to an Aug. 4 release.
In Idaho, the Legislature passed House Bill 71a bill that would prohibit Idaho youth from receiving gender-affirming drugs or surgery. It was signed the bill by Republican Governor Brad Little in April 2023.
The law makes it a crime punishable by up to 10 years for doctors to perform surgery, apply puberty blockers and hormones on transgender people under the age of 18. However, gender-affirming surgery is not and has not previously been performed on adults and youth in the state of Idaho. bill signed into law, Idaho Capital Sun previously reported.
What do the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for gender-affirming care say?
As outlined in its policy statement, the Academy encourages pediatricians to apply a gender-sensitive model of care when treating teenage patients. The model encourages pediatricians to recognize that:
- transgender identity and differential gender expression do not constitute a mental disorder.
- differences in gender identity and expression are normal aspects of human diversity, and binary definitions of gender do not always reflect emerging gender identity.
- Gender identity evolves through the interplay of biology, development, socialization, and culture.
- if there is a mental health problem, it is most often the result of stigma and negative experiences, rather than an inherent characteristic of the child.
“Youth who identifies as [transgender and gender diverse] and their families,” the Academy notes in its policy statement. “The decision about whether and when to initiate gender-affirmative treatment is a personal matter and requires careful consideration of the risks, benefits, and other factors specific to each patient and family.”
However, Labrador stated that treatments that suppress hormones or contain puberty blockers may have adverse effects on a patient’s health, including interfering with neurocognitive development, worsening bone density and disrupting the normal experience of puberty. He said the treatment could cause “particularly serious harm” to children who “outgrow” the disease before they reach adulthood.
However, the American Academy of Pediatrics in its policy statement states that research shows that children who affirm their transgender identity before puberty and who “know their gender as clearly and as consistently” as their cisgender peers enjoy the same level of social acceptance as these peers.
“More reliable and current research suggests that rather than focusing on who a child will become, appreciating them for who they are, even at a young age, promotes secure attachment and resilience not only for the child but also for the entire family,” she wrote. the academy in its policy statement.
But Labrador and other state officials say they want more information about how the academy reached its conclusions, especially when it comes to puberty-blocking drugs.
“The letter requests that the AAP provide detailed information on communications and practices related to gender dysphoria in youth and substantiate the academy’s claims regarding the safety and reversibility of puberty blocking drugs,” the attorney general’s press release reads.
Other states that joined Idaho in sending a letter to the academy include officials from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina , South Dakota and Texas , Utah, Virginia and West Virginia. 🔥
