The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Wednesday released the final version of its long-anticipated report on pediatric gender-affirming care, asserting that treatments such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgeries pose “medical dangers” to children. The findings immediately drew criticism from major medical organizations.
The report claims that gender-affirming medical interventions result in significant, long-term harm—a conclusion sharply at odds with guidance from leading U.S. and international medical associations.
Its release follows an initial draft published in May, in which HHS called for expanding the use of psychotherapy for children and adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria and recommended a more cautious approach to medical interventions.
HHS described the final report as “peer-reviewed.” However, several individuals who reviewed the document are researchers who have publicly opposed gender-affirming care, raising concerns about the review process.
Medical groups—including those representing pediatricians, endocrinologists, and mental-health professionals—pushed back against the report’s conclusions. They noted that psychotherapy is already the standard first step in gender-affirming care, and that any progression to puberty blockers or hormone treatments comes only after extensive evaluations involving patients, families, and clinicians.
Many of these organizations argue that, when properly administered, gender-affirming treatments can significantly improve mental-health outcomes for transgender youth.
