American Society of Plastic Surgeons Recommends Against Gender Transition Surgery On Minors

Original article here

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has announced that it will no longer support gender-related surgical procedures for minors as it conducts a comprehensive review of the scientific evidence.

Citing “growing uncertainty about the benefits of medical and surgical interventions” for minors with gender dysphoria, the ASPS says it has “identified limitations in study quality, consistency, and follow-up alongside emerging evidence of treatment complications and potential harms.”

The position statement from the ASPS recommends the delay of irreversible gender-related surgeries for minors until age 19 or older, based on low-quality evidence from reviews like the U.K.’s Cass Review and a 2025 U.S. report.

According to the group’s statement, “ASPS concludes there is insufficient evidence demonstrating a favorable risk-benefit ratio for the pathway of gender-related endocrine and surgical interventions in children and adolescents.”

The organization goes on to recommend “that surgeons delay gender-related breast/chest, genital, and facial surgery until a patient is at least 19 years old.”

The ASPS recommendation follows the announcement of detransitioner Fox Varian’s $2 million malpractice win after she sued her psychologist and plastic surgeon over her mastectomy at 16.

The Washington Post reports that the ASPS is now the first major medical organization in the U.S. to narrow its guidance on pediatric gender care.

The organization represents more than 11,000 physicians worldwide and says that it has found “substantial proportion of children with prepubertal onset gender dysphoria experience resolution or significant reduction of distress by the time they reach adulthood, absent medical or surgical intervention.”

According to the NY Post, the ASPS cited an article from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from last year which found the “rapid expansion and implementation of a clinical protocol” for pediatric transgender medicine “lacked sufficient scientific and ethical justification.”

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a statement, “We commend the American Society of Plastic Surgeons for standing up to the overmedicalization lobby and defending sound science. By taking this stand, they are helping protect future generations of American children from irreversible harm.”

The Kaiser Family Foundation says 27 states have now enacted laws or policies restricting youth access to so-called transgender medical procedures.