A coalition of 20 US state attorneys general has accused the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) of issuing “misleading and deceptive” medical advice in support of the use of puberty blockers on adolescents and warned that as a result the group may fall afoul of consumer protection laws.
The Republican attorneys general, led by Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador, sent a 10-page letter to the AAP, stating that when it comes to treating children diagnosed with gender dysphoria, the medical association has “abandoned its commitment to sound medical judgment”.
The attorneys general note that the AAP “reaffirmed” their 2018 policy statement in 2023, which “endorses treating minors diagnosed with gender dysphoria with puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical interventions”. The letter also states that physicians, the public, parents and their children are advised that puberty blockers used to treat young people with gender dysphoria are “reversible”.
“That statement is misleading and deceptive,” the letter reads, adding that it is “beyond medical debate that puberty blockers are not fully reversible but instead come with serious long-term consequences”.
The claim of reversibility is “even less defensible” in light of the UK’s ‘Cass Report’ and the revelation of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and its standards of care “as unreliable and influenced by improper pressures,” the letter argues.
“The 2018 AAP policy statement itself demonstrates that the ‘reversible’ claim is misleading and deceptive. It acknowledges that ‘[r]esearch on long-term risks, particularly in terms of bone metabolism and fertility, is currently limited and provides varied results.’ The AAP has no basis to assure parents that giving their children puberty blockers can be fully reversed. It just isn’t true.
“That is why the World Health Organization refuses to endorse puberty blockers or otherwise provide treatment guidelines for children with gender dysphoria, explaining that ‘the evidence base for children and adolescents is limited and variable regarding the longer-term outcomes of gender affirming care.’ The WHO is not alone. Countries around the world are intervening to protect children against these untested treatments,” it states.
The attorneys general write that that pause “on what is fairly described as medical experimentation on children is long overdue”.
The claim that puberty blockers are reversible “raises questions under most state consumer protection laws”, according to the attorneys general, citing Idaho law, which prohibits “[e]ngaging in any act or practice that is otherwise misleading, false, or deceptive to the consumer”.
“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,” they write.
“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,” the attorneys general state.
In addition to the retraction and correction, they request an explanation of the draft and review process for the 2018 AAP policy statement and subsequent reaffirmation, as well as supporting evidence for its claims that puberty blockers are an appropriate and reversible treatment for young people suffering from gender dysphoria.
The attorneys general also demand copies of communications between the AAP and a variety of stakeholders, such as the Biden Administration and medical practitioners, relating to a number of items of concern such as the 2018 AAP policy statement, transgender care, and WPATH.
The letter gives the medical association a deadline for a written response to its demands of October 8.
The signatories include, aside from the attorney general of Idaho, the attorneys general of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as President of the Arizona Senate, Warren Petersen and Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, Ben Toma.