U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. By failing to disclose the authorship of a report disparaging gender-affirming care, he made what was already a highly polarizing issue much worse. Now major medical organizations are alarmed. They voiced their frustration over being left out of the report’s development, but now the city has a growing chorus of stakeholders criticizing it.
The political debate around gender-affirming surgeries, especially for children and teens, remains dynamic. Although such surgeries are rarely performed on children and teens, they have become a focal point for lawmakers aiming to regulate medical practices related to transgender youth. In Kansas, a law passed to ban all gender-affirming care, though not yet enforced, raises many questions about enforcement.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has come out saying that children and teens are too immature to consent to gender-affirming treatments before. A separate study required under the same law undermines this assertion. It’s proof that allowing consistent access to gender-affirming care makes life-saving differences in mental health outcomes for minors.
“Patients that were seen at the gender clinic before the age of 18 had a lower risk of suicide compared to those referred as an adult.” – Report prepared for lawmakers.
Former President Donald Trump has had a markedly different approach. He argues that behavioral therapy should be used in children who experience a mismatch between their gender identity and assigned sex at birth—not medical procedures. Trump followed this up by actually enacting an executive order. This order thus makes the very clear statement that the federal government should not be financing gender transitions for anyone younger than 19.
Utah is one of 27 states to pass laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. The state has thankfully enacted new laws to safeguard the long-term health and well-being of those minors. This law provides time for a complete look at the rapidly evolving medical landscape relating to irreversible procedures being performed on minors.
Senate President Stuart Adams emphasized the need for caution, stating, “The future and safety of kids are paramount.” Meanwhile, Republican Representatives Katy Hall and Bridger Bolinder expressed their concerns about the decision-making capabilities of young individuals, asserting, “Young kids and teenagers should not be making life-altering medical decisions based on weak evidence.”
Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services partnered with professionals from leading health organizations across the state. Combined, their studies were the largest ever to include thousands of transgender people. Their findings concluded that gender-affirming care produced “positive mental health and psychosocial functioning outcomes.”
Regardless, federal judges in Arkansas, Florida, and most recently, Montana ruled state bans on gender-affirming care unconstitutional. In Florida, a federal appeals court has issued a temporary stay on that ruling. This ruling only serves to complicate the ongoing fight in courts across the nation over this important issue.
Polling data indicates that voters are particularly moved by bans on transgender minors’ access to care. This serves as a reminder of the very real divide in public opinion. The debate over gender-affirming care continues as states grapple with balancing parental rights, medical expertise, and the well-being of transgender youth.
