Donald Trump is doing his part in destroying the radical Left’s harmful ideologies. It’s one of the reasons he was elected.
And President Trump just put this Leftist agenda on the chopping block after releasing this shocking exposé.
A groundbreaking 409-page study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has cast a spotlight on the murky waters of transgender treatments for minors, revealing “deep uncertainty about the purported benefits” of many interventions. The report, released on Thursday, urges a pivot toward behavioral therapy as a cornerstone for addressing gender dysphoria in young people, challenging long-standing medical practices.
The HHS investigation, sparked by an executive order from President Trump in January, dives into the evidence—or lack thereof—behind treatments like puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries. It paints a sobering picture: many of these protocols gained traction before rigorous outcome studies could confirm their safety or efficacy.
“The umbrella review found that the overall quality of evidence concerning the effects of any intervention on psychological outcomes, quality of life, regret, or long-term health, is very low,” the report states, adding that “beneficial effects reported in the literature are likely to differ substantially from the true effects of the interventions.”
The study, while not a clinical guideline, sifts through 17 systematic reviews of transgender treatments for minors. Its verdict? There’s scant evidence showing “meaningful improvement in mental health” from these interventions.
In some cases, studies failed to properly track patient outcomes or focused on individuals already mentally stable, skewing results. “Multiple SRs [systematic reviews] have concluded that the evidence supporting the benefits of pediatric transition interventions—from PBs [puberty blockers] to CSH [cross-s*x hormone therapy] and surgery—is of ‘very low certainty,’” the report notes, reminding readers that “all medical interventions carry the potential for harm.”
Much of the scrutinized research hails from abroad, with the Dutch Protocol—a 2006 framework for “highly medicalized” treatments like puberty blockers—taking center stage. Once hailed as the gold standard, the protocol fueled a surge in transgender treatments for minors, with about 0.1% of U.S. 17-year-olds receiving hormonal treatment between 2018 and 2022.
Yet the HHS report exposes “methodological flaws” in the Dutch study, including a biased selection of 70 subjects from a larger group of 111, which favored those with better prognoses. “This selection process inadvertently biased the sample toward cases with the most favorable prognoses, thereby limiting the generalizability of the study’s findings,” the report explains.
The HHS study doesn’t shy away from the charged atmosphere surrounding this topic, acknowledging the “extreme toxicity and polarization” in the field. It draws parallels with the U.K.’s Cass Review, a four-year National Health Service study that similarly questioned the reliability of mainstream transgender research.
The report also notes a “growing international concern about pediatric medical transition,” with several countries tightening restrictions on such treatments. “There is currently no international consensus about best practices for the care of children and adolescents with gender dysphoria,” it emphasizes.
Amid the uncertainty, the HHS study sees promise in psychotherapy. While “direct evidence for psychotherapy” in treating gender dysphoria is limited, the report argues that its success in addressing other mental health issues, like depression, makes it a compelling option.
This nudge toward non-invasive approaches marks a potential shift in how clinicians might approach the estimated 3.3% of U.S. adolescents who identify as transgender.
The medical community’s response has been a mixed bag. Susan Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, criticized the report for leaning on a “narrow set of data” and failing to capture “the realities of pediatric care.”
In contrast, Dr. Stanley Goldfarb of Do No Harm, an organization opposing gender transition surgeries, praised the study for exposing “a number of serious risks” for these procedures. “It is clearer now, more than ever, that we must end this misguided practice and replace it with evidence-based treatment for gender confused kids,” he said.
The study’s roots trace back to Trump’s January executive order, which not only mandated the HHS review but also cut federal funding for child s*x-change operations. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health and a key figure in the study, stressed the need for scientific rigor over ideology.
“Our duty is to protect our nation’s children—not expose them to unproven and irreversible medical interventions,” he said. “We must follow the gold standard of science, not activist agendas.”
Titled “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices,” the HHS report is now headed for peer review, with a revised version expected upon completion.
As the medical world grapples with its findings, the study stands as a call to rethink assumptions, prioritize evidence, and tread carefully when it comes to radical transgender treatments for minors.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
