The president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) said Monday he would not consider performing sex change procedures on children.
The ASPS officially opposed sex change surgeries for minors in August, becoming the first major American medical association to do so, NewsNation reported. Dr. Steven Williams told “Fox and Friends First” co-host Todd Piro during an interview that “better data” is needed when it comes to performing the surgeries on minors.
“The American Society of Plastic Surgeons really feels there is not enough evidence out there to support these type of procedure in minors at this time, adolescents,” Williams said. “We’re talking about adolescent care, I think that’s an important thing to differentiate. There is host of different operations that could be considered as gender-affirming care, and they really involve a group of procedures that allow an individual to become more aligned with their gender identity.”
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Top Surgeon Breaks Down Why He ‘Won’t Even Entertain’ Gender-Bending Surgeries On Kids pic.twitter.com/arCyXdpkTJ
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“The real issue here is, as physicians we’re driven by evidence, and our care also involves compassion and interaction with patients,” Williams told Piro. “But you know, we really have to look to evidence when we’re thinking about what the appropriate care is for patients, and this is a newly developing field, and for, again, adolescents, right now, the evidence, there is just not enough of it yet.”
Dr. Hilary Cass, former president of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, issued a report in April claiming there is “weak evidence” to support the use of puberty blockers for children, and that studies show the use of “puberty suppression” does not address gender dysphoria, but could have harmful effects including compromising bone density.
“I think there are a lot of things to consider,” Williams added. “One is safety of the procedure, these techniques are still in development and again, this is new field for adolescents. There is a lot of psychiatric and long-term results that we need to get better data on, and this is a particularly vulnerable population. And again, I think it’s important to distinguish we’re talking about adolescents. For adults, this care is well established.”
The United Kingdom issued an “emergency ban” on the private prescription and supply of puberty blockers for minors, a decision that was upheld by a judge in July. In the United States, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case challenging a Tennessee law that bans child sex change procedures.
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