Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and 21 other attorneys general called on the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to retract a recent transgender medical care policy that endorses treating minors diagnosed with gender dysphoria with puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgical interventions.
The policy tells physicians, the public and parents and their children that puberty blockers used to treat adolescents with gender dysphoria are "reversible."
Marshall and 21 attorneys general said in a letter to the AAP on Tuesday that a "halt on what is fairly described as medical experimentation on children is long overdue—particularly since the majority of children initially diagnosed with gender dysphoria desist and "grow out" of the condition by the time they are adolescents or adults."
"It is abusive to treat a child with biologically altering drugs that have an unknown physiological trajectory and end point. It is also inhumane to endorse such experimentation without a confident safety profile, especially if more times than not, it proves to be medically unnecessary. And yet, the AAP continues to authoritatively declare that puberty blockers are "reversible." That claim is scientifically unsupported and contradicts what is medically known. And because that claim raises questions under most state consumer protection laws, it has the undersigned alarmed. Idaho law, for example, prohibits "[e]ngaging in any act or practice that is otherwise misleading, false, or deceptive to the consumer." Idaho Code § 48-603(17). Most other states likewise prohibit making statements to consumers that are false, misleading, or deceptive. Each of us takes our responsibility to protect consumers in our states very seriously," Marshall and the attorneys general wrote.
The issue of how medical trade groups advise medical practitioners on recommending transgender surgeries for minors has come up multiple times in 2024.
Newly unsealed documents in a lawsuit against Alabama's transgender surgery ban for minors revealed the Biden administration lobbied against including minimum age requirements in the World Professional Association for Transgender Health's (WPATH) standards of care for surgeries.
The attorneys general continued, "The application of these laws to the AAP's claim is straightforward. First, statements made by medical trade associations, like the AAP, are subject to state consumer protection laws. Second, misleading and deceptive statements of medical trade associations are connected to commerce and reach consumers. The AAP has 67,000 pediatrician members and requires its members to pay annual dues. The AAP has a chapter in each State, and the AAP policy statement has a "Shop AAP" link prominently displayed at the top of the page with the "reversible" claim. That "shop" offers training courses and membership for purchase and touts that a paid AAP membership can "help you be the best clinician you can be for children and their families." Ultimately, the AAP's statements and guidance affect how physicians practice medicine and treat children."
"Because providers rely on the AAP when they make treatment decisions, parents and their children are harmed by the AAP's misleading and deceptive claim. When pediatricians are told by the AAP that treating children with puberty blockers is "reversible," that claim becomes part of the medical discussion and decision making with parents and children. The claim reaching parents and children isn't just foreseeable—it is part of the design and mission of the AAP," Marshall and the attorney generals wrote. "Its number one goal is to: "Strengthen the Academy's impact on health and health equity for infants, children, adolescents and young adults through clinical guidance, policy, advocacy, and education." The AAP has said that it plans to undertake a "systematic review of the evidence" regarding using puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical interventions to treat minors with gender dysphoria. The undersigned applaud any effort that scrutinizes the safety and efficacy of these novel and risk-laden treatments. But whatever the status of that "systematic review," the AAP continues to mislead and deceive consumers by maintaining its claim that puberty blockers are "reversible." That claim is misleading and deceptive and requires immediate retraction and correction."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email caleb.taylor@1819News.com.
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