Two medical associations update their recommendations on gender-affirming care

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

Two medical associations update their recommendations on gender-affirming care for trans youth

https://www.advocate.com/health/transgender-health/ama-asps-backtrack-transgender-care 🔗

Trudy Ring (5 Feb 2026)

The American Medical Association, which has long supported gender-affirming care for transgender youth, has now endorsed some restrictions.

The AMA recommended Wednesday that any gender-affirming surgeries be delayed until adulthood, The New York Times reports. While genital surgery is almost never performed on minors, some teens undergo top surgery or facial modifications. Gender-affirming care for youth more commonly includes puberty blockers, hormone therapy, social transition, and counseling.

The AMA's policy shift comes a day after the American Society of Plastic Surgeons recommended that surgeons delay breast/chest, genital, and facial surgery until a patient is at least 19 years old.

Numerous hospitals have stopped providing gender-affirming care to young people, fearing the loss of funding. The actions by the AMA and the ASPS may stop with the surgery recommendations, or they may lead to further restrictions on this care, making it harder for trans youth to access.

The plastic surgeons group cited two studies that are controversial among health care professionals and supporters of trans rights — the U.K.'s Cass Review and a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the latter of which promotes conversion therapy and discredits gender-affirming care. Advocates and experts have said both the Cass Review and the HHS report are filled with misinformation, ignoring studies that indicate gender-affirming care is beneficial for young people.

[Susan ✅]

A person at age 18 is a legal adult, 19 is expanded cruelty