HHS Report Warns of Long-Term Risks in Pediatric Gender Transition Procedures

A new peer-reviewed report from the Department of Health and Human Services has found that medical procedures altering a child’s biological sex pose serious long-term dangers to children. The findings come amid ongoing national debate over transgender healthcare policies and as related cases reach the Supreme Court.

“The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics peddled the lie that chemical and surgical sex-rejecting procedures could be good for children,” stated HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Wednesday’s press release. “They betrayed their oath to first do no harm, and their so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ has inflicted lasting physical and psychological damage on vulnerable young people. That is not medicine — it’s malpractice.”

The report, released through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, concluded that treatments including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical operations carry “significant, long-term” risks that are “too often ignored or inadequately tracked.”

Assistant Secretary for Health Brian Christine emphasized the gravity of the findings: “What are we going to tell the young people who can’t have children because the medical profession stole that from them? Our report is an urgent wake-up call to doctors and parents about the clear dangers of trying to turn girls into boys and vice versa.”

The November publication updates a May report that was criticized by several medical organizations for not identifying its authors and allegedly misrepresenting medical consensus. The new study was authored by nine medical professionals, including doctors and PhD holders from prestigious institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University, and organizations like the Society for Evidence Based Gender Medicine and the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.

HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon told Fox News Digital that the agency invited “a diverse group of individuals and organizations” to participate in the peer-review process, including organizations that support youth medical procedures related to gender dysphoria. Nixon noted that the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the Endocrine Society were invited to participate but declined.

In response to the report, the Endocrine Society provided a statement asserting that children using puberty-delaying medication or hormone therapy is “rare and reflects a cautious approach.” The organization maintained that “the widely accepted view of the professional medical community is that medical treatment is appropriate for transgender and gender-diverse teenagers who experience persistent feelings of gender dysphoria.”

The American Psychological Association, which reviewed the report, criticized it for lacking “sufficient transparency and clarity,” stating that its methodology was insufficient “for its findings to be taken at face value.”

The controversy reflects the intensifying political divide over transgender healthcare. Republican-led states such as Florida and Arkansas have banned medical gender transition procedures for minors, citing concerns about irreversible decisions made before adulthood. Meanwhile, Democrats have advocated for protecting such treatments, arguing that restricting access can lead to depression, anxiety, and increased suicide risk among transgender youth.

The report’s release coincides with the Supreme Court’s consideration of two cases centered on transgender students’ participation in school sports. West Virginia v. B.P.J. examines whether states can limit girls’ and women’s sports to biological females, while Little v. Hecox questions whether such restrictions violate the Equal Protection Clause.

In support of transgender inclusion in sports, 130 Democratic members of Congress filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court. “All students deserve equal access to opportunity in schools—whether in the classroom, on the playing field, or in other settings,” said Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) in a press release.

The Trump administration has taken a different approach, with President Trump signing an executive order earlier this year declaring that the U.S. only recognizes male and female sexes, while also ending what he termed “radical and wasteful” diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within government.

“This report marks a turning point for American medicine,” said National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya. “The evidence in it meticulously documents the risks the profession has imposed on vulnerable children. At the NIH, we are committed to ensuring that science, not ideology, guides America’s medical research.”