Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador — along with attorneys general and officials from 20 other U.S. states, including Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost — has accused the American Academy of Pediatrics of possibly “violating state consumer protection laws” over its standards and recommendations for the care of children with gender dysphoria.
In a letter sent Tuesday by Labrador, a Republican, the attorney general requested information detailing the evidence the academy presented to support its current recommendations for puberty blockers for youth diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
“Most troubling, AAP says use of puberty blockers in children is safe and reversible” The Labrador office said in a press release“This claim is not supported by evidence and may therefore be contrary to consumer protection laws in most states.”
Children suffering from gender dysphoria “need and deserve love, support, and medical care that is 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 are sacrificing the health and well-being of children by using medically unproven treatments that leave lasting harm.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics, an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, voted in August to reaffirm its 2018 policy statement on gender-sensitive care and authorized 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“are in the best interests of the children, in accordance with Press release from August 4 from the academy.
The decision to authorize the systematic review reflects concerns by the academy’s board of directors about restrictions on access to health care, including bans on gender-affirming care in more than 20 states, according to an Aug. 4 announcement.
In Idaho, the legislature passed Bill No. 71law banning Idaho youth from receiving gender-affirming drugs and surgeries. It was the act was signed by Republican Governor Brad Little in April 2023.
The law requires doctors to perform surgeries, administer puberty-blocking drugs and hormones to transgender people under 18, which is a felony punishable by up to 10 years. However, gender-correcting surgeries are not and were not performed on adults or youth in Idaho before the law was signed, writes the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported.
What do the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for gender-sensitive care say?
According to the policy statement, the academy encourages pediatricians to utilize a gender-affirming care model when treating newborn patients. The model encourages pediatricians to recognize that:
- Transgender identities and diverse forms of gender expression do not constitute a mental disorder.
- Differences in gender identity and expression are a normal aspect of human diversity, and binary definitions of gender do not always reflect emerging gender identities.
- Gender identity develops through the interplay of biology, development, socialization, and culture.
- If there is a mental health problem, it is most often a result of stigma and negative experiences, rather than being something inherent to the child.
“A variety of medical interventions can be offered to young people who identify as sick. [transgender and gender diverse] and their families,” the academy notes in its policy statement. “The decision about whether and when to begin gender-affirming treatment is a personal one and requires careful consideration of risks, benefits, and other factors specific to each patient and family.”
However, Labrador said that treatments that suppress hormones or utilize puberty blockers can have adverse health effects on a patient, including disrupting neurocognitive development, worsening bone density and interfering with normal puberty experiences. He said the treatments can cause “particularly serious harm” to children who “outgrow” the condition as adults.
However, the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a statement that research shows that children who declare their transgender identity before puberty and who “know their gender as clearly and consistently” as their cisgender peers enjoy the same levels of social acceptance as those peers.
“More robust and up-to-date research suggests that rather than focusing on who a child will become, valuing them for who they are, even at a young age, strengthens secure attachment and resilience, not only in the child but also in the entire family,” the academy wrote 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 blockers.
“The letter requested detailed information from the AAP regarding its communications and practices related to gender dysphoria among youth, as well as substantiation of the academy’s claims regarding the safety and reversibility of puberty blockers,” the attorney general’s press release reads.
Idaho was joined in sending a letter to the academy by representatives from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.
