Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill joined Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador in a 20-state coalition to put the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on notice for possible violations of state consumer protection statutes over its evidence free standards on gender dysphoria care for minors.  As confirmed by the Cass Report as well as recent disclosures by WPATH, AAP’s guidance is based more on political pressure and agendas rather than medical efficacy and sound medical judgement. In a letter to the AAP leadership, the attorneys general request information detailing the AAP’s evidence for its ongoing recommendations for puberty blockers for gender dysphoria-diagnosed youth despite widespread retractions of the practice.  

Most concerning, AAP claims that the use of puberty blockers on children is safe and reversible.  This assertion is not grounded in evidence and therefore may run afoul of consumer protection laws in most states. 

“Child mutilation is barbaric – it’s against Louisiana law, science, and common sense. It is abusive to experiment on a child with biologically altering drugs that have an unknown physiological trajectory and end point. Pediatricians should protect children from this abuse, not commit them to a lifetime of it. Glad to join my colleagues in protecting our kids,” said Attorney General Liz Murrill.

“It is shameful the most basic tenet of medicine – do no harm – has been abandoned by professional associations when politically pressured,” said Attorney General Labrador.  “These organizations are sacrificing the health and well-being of children with medically unproven treatments that leave a wake of permanent damage.  Children with gender dysphoria need and deserve love, support, and medical care rooted in biological reality. Parents should be able to trust that a doctor’s medical guidance isn’t just the latest talking point from a dangerous and discredited activist agenda.”

As stated by the letter, “When used to suppress hormones below normal ranges during or before puberty, puberty blockers: (1) may interfere with neurocognitive development; (2) compromise bone density and may negatively affect metabolic health and weight; and (3) block normal pubertal experience and experimentation.  And when puberty blocker use is followed directly by cross-sex hormone use, which is often the case, infertility and sterility is a known consequence, at least for those who began puberty blockers in early puberty.”

And this harm is particularly egregious since the majority of children initially diagnosed with gender dysphoria desist and “grow out” of the condition by the time they are adolescents or adults.

The letter requests detailed information from the AAP regarding its communications and practices related to youth gender dysphoria and substantiation of the Academy’s claims regarding the safety and reversibility of puberty blockers.

Other states joining Louisiana and Idaho in this letter are: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virgina, West Virginia, and the Arizona Legislature. 

The full letter can be read here.