Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) alerted providers of their obligation to protect American children from often irreversible chemical and surgical mutilation, including interventions that cause sterilization. Hospital providers were alerted of serious quality and safety concerns associated with harmful, medical interventions for gender dysphoria. CMS also announced it may begin taking steps to align its policies and regulations with medical evidence and to safeguard children from often irreversible experiments. CMS will continue to follow any applicable substantive and procedural requirements in taking any future action.
Recent studies found that between 2017 to 2021, more than 120,000 children ages 6 to 17 were diagnosed with gender dysphoria and, of that group, more than 17,000 started taking puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones.1 CMS notes research that shows the potentially harmful long-term effects of those puberty blockers related to children’s growth spurts, bone growth, bone density, and fertility.2 CMS also explains how the U.S. is now an outlier in the treatment of gender dysphoria in children. The United Kingdom, Sweden, and Finland have recently issued restrictions on these interventions for children, including the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. 3 4 5
CMS reminds hospitals that it is of utmost importance that all providers follow the highest standards of care and adhere closely to the foundational principles of medicine in doing no harm, especially as it comes to America’s children. CMS may take additional appropriate actions to protect children from chemical and surgical mutilation and to appropriately update its policies.
Similar alerts are also being sent by other HHS agencies to grantees. View the CMS alert here: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/QSSAM-25-02-Hospitals.pdf
1 https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-transyouth-data/
5 https://segm.org/Finland_deviates_from_WPATH_prioritizing_psychotherapy_no_surgery_for_minors