
Influential U.S. medical bodies are ignoring findings abroad that puberty-blockers and hormonal treatments for children and teens lack supporting evidence.
On this side of the Atlantic, the Cass Review has fallen on deaf ears.
Dr. Hilary Cass released her final report for England’s National Health Service two months ago, clearly demonstrating that puberty-blockers and hormonal treatments for trans-identified children and teens lack supporting evidence. NHS England has now banned puberty-blockers in clinical care and will be restricting their use to research settings. Yet U.S. medical leaders have responded with silence, inaction, or both, proving that the physical and emotional well-being of youth has taken a back seat to social and political agendas.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is a case in point. Since the Cass Review’s release, the AAP has refused to recognize the problematic nature of its policy that promotes hormonal and surgical treatments of trans-identified minors. This is critical because the AAP is arguably one of the most powerful institutions supporting this unproven and controversial treatment. The AAP uses its authority and trust to influence legislative debate, judicial proceedings, and parental decisions nationwide.