Agency headed by Trump encourages therapy for transgender youth, instead of embracing comprehensive gender-affirming healthcare
Scandal Erupts Over Trump's Controversial Transgender Health Report
The Trump administration has caused a stir with its new report on transgender health care for youths with gender dysphoria, advocating for more behavioral therapy and questioning the validity of standard treatments. This report is likely to support the government's controversial stance on transgender care that has become a hot political issue.
This new "best practices" report contradicts advice from the American Medical Association, which urges states not to discourage gender-affirming care for minors, asserting that empirical evidence demonstrates transgender identities are normal parts of human identity and expression.
HHS claims that its report is not clinical guidance and does not make policy recommendations. However, it's limited to children and does not address treatment for adults. Gender-affirming care for transgender youth typically consists of supportive talk therapy and, in some cases, involves puberty blockers or hormone treatment. Gender-affirming surgeries for transgender minors are rare.
Critics argue that the federal government's injection of politics and ideology into medical science will create fear for families seeking care and providers. Shannon Minter, the legal director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, describes the report as Orwellian, intended to confuse and disorient.
A judge has blocked key parts of Trump's order, including denying research and educational grants for medical schools, hospitals, and other institutions that provide gender-affirming care to people under 19. Several hospitals have ceased providing care due to the policy, while the White House claims HHS has eliminated 215 grants totaling $477 million for research or education on gender-affirming treatment since Trump took office.
Most Republican-controlled states have adopted bans or restrictions on gender-affirming care. The U.S. Supreme Court is yet to rule on whether states can enforce such laws.
Trump's report represents a turning point in federal policy, as previous HHS findings acknowledged that behavioral health interventions had not proven effective in changing someone's gender identity or sexual orientation. The latest report has undergone a peer-review process but has removed the 2023 update from its website regarding the ineffectiveness of behavioral therapy.
The report alleges that medical groups have relied on medical treatment instead of behavioral therapy due to a "mischaracterization" of such approaches as "conversion therapy," which about half the states have banned for minors. Critics contend that this report risks endangering transgender youth by limiting access to evidence-based support and potentially violating their constitutional rights, including the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause and healthcare protections under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. Legal organizations are preparing lawsuits to block policies derived from the report.
Insights:
- The report is accused of spreading misinformation about gender-affirming treatments and stigmatizing care.
- Advocates stress that the report ignores decades of clinical research and undermines patient autonomy.
- The Trump administration is seen as prioritizing ideological opposition over medical expertise in its efforts to dismantle transgender healthcare access.
- Policies based on the report could violate constitutional rights and healthcare protections.
Further Reading:
- The American Academy of Pediatrics' Guidelines on Transgender Healthcare
- The ACLU's resources on Transgender Rights
- Lambda Legal's articles on Transgender Rights
- The HHS Office of Civil Rights' guidance on Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act
- The Trump administration's report on transgender health care has sparked controversy, with critics accusing it of spreading misinformation and stigmatizing care.
- Advocates argue that the report disregards decades of clinical research and undermines patient autonomy by prioritizing ideological opposition over medical expertise.
- Policies derived from this report could potentially violate constitutional rights, including those guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause and healthcare protections under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act.
- The report alleges that medical groups have relied on medical treatments instead of behavioral therapy because they have been mischaracterized as "conversion therapy," a practice banned in half the states for minors.
- A judge has blocked key parts of Trump's order, including denying research and educational grants for institutions providing gender-affirming care to minors.
- Several hospitals have ceased providing care due to the policy, while the White House claims HHS has eliminated 215 grants totaling $477 million for research or education on gender-affirming treatment since Trump took office.
- In Seattle, mental-health specialists and health-and-wellness advocates are preparing lawsuits to block policies derived from the report.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics, the ACLU, Lambda Legal, and the HHS Office of Civil Rights are valuable resources for understanding transgender rights and healthcare access.
