Two medical associations update their recommendations on gender-affirming care for trans youth
Advocate.com12 hrs
Plastic Surgeons Recommend Delaying Gender Surgery to 19
Are these procedures a lifesaving treatment or are their benefits unproven?
Above: A demonstrator at the Rise Up for Trans Youth rally against President Donald Trump's executive actions at Union Square in New York on Feb. 7, 2025. Image credit: Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg/Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
Gender-affirming care for transgender youth is medically necessary and lifesaving treatment supported by every major medical association. Bans of this care ignore the gold standard of pediatric ethics, where children, parents and clinicians all agree on treatment — forcing vulnerable kids to suffer depression, anxiety and suicidality. These restrictions impose conservative views of sex and gender onto families while discriminating against transgender youth in violation of constitutional equal protection.
Right narrative
The assumptions justifying early medical transition for gender-dysphoric youth are unproven or disproven, with systematic reviews finding no credible evidence that hormones or surgery improve long-term mental health outcomes. Identity development in adolescence is fluid, and rushing kids into irreversible interventions disrupts natural identity consolidation. Long-term studies show elevated suicide rates and serious health problems persist even after transition, revealing these interventions fail to deliver promised benefits.
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© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 6.18.0