US Medical Association Advise Against Gender Transitions for Kids

(MENAFN) A prominent medical organization in the United States has taken a clear stance against performing so-called “gender transition” surgeries on minors, arguing that current research does not adequately show that the potential benefits outweigh the medical risks. The recommendation reflects a wider decline in institutional and public backing for sex change procedures involving children.

In guidance released Tuesday, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), which represents more than 11,000 surgeons nationwide, urged its members to postpone these permanent operations until patients reach at least 19 years of age.

The policy, approved in January and later highlighted in media reports, stated that “there is insufficient evidence demonstrating a favorable risk-benefit ratio” when such surgeries are carried out on young patients. It also emphasized that there remains “substantial uncertainty” surrounding the long-term physical and psychological consequences of these interventions.

“This is a vulnerable, adolescent population,” former ASPS president Scot Bradley Glasberg told the Post. “We are mindful that some of these surgeries are irreversible.”

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been at the forefront of efforts to limit sex change procedures for minors, welcomed the ASPS position. He praised the group for “standing up to the overmedicalization lobby and defending sound science,” according to official statements.

The evolving outlook within parts of the medical field mirrors broader political changes across the country. US President Donald Trump has taken decisive steps to dismantle transgender-related policies introduced under his predecessor, Joe Biden. These actions include executive orders cutting federal backing for youth transition treatments, barring transgender individuals from military service, and endorsing state-level restrictions on related medical care.

At the legislative level, lawmakers in multiple states have pushed to criminalize gender transition procedures for minors. At the federal level, the US House of Representatives approved a bill late last year that would prohibit such operations for children, though it has not yet advanced to a vote in the Senate.

At the same time, recent research suggests a decline in the number of young Americans identifying as transgender. A study released in October by a university-based research center found that the proportion of US college students who identify as transgender had dropped sharply since its peak in 2023, decreasing from nearly 7% to under 4%.

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