American Medical Association reaffirms support for trans health care after controversial statementhttps://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/03/american-medical-association-reaffirms-support-for-trans-health-care-after-controversial-statement/ 🔗Molly Sprayregen (27 March 2026)
The American Medical Association (AMA) reaffirmed its support for gender-affirming care and said media outlets that reported a change in its policy (including LGBTQ Nation) misinterpreted a recent statement from the organization.
AMA's March 2026 newsletter devoted a section to the debacle and explained that it all started in February when Dr. Mehmet Oz, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, held a meeting for the leaders of the nation's major medical organizations to discuss why they all endorsed medical interventions for trans teenagers.
Sources told the Times that Dr. Oz's tone was measured, rather than hostile, but that it was clear he hoped to sway the organizations away from supporting gender-affirming care for young trans people. At the meeting, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) reportedly shocked everyone by announcing it was indeed changing its stance on gender-affirming care.
The AMA newsletter explained that once ASPS released its statement, the AMA's Executive Committee of the Board met to craft a statement to provide to probing media outlets.
"During our Board discussion, we were clear that we were not changing AMA policy," the newsletter said, emphasizing that the statement was exclusively to be used if media outlets contacted the organization, rather than preemptively.
"While some media coverage characterized this as agreement with the ASPS statement, that phrasing did not come from the AMA," the newsletter continued. "Unfortunately, how reporters frame their stories is beyond our control."
