The Federal Trade Commission is seeking feedback from the public on any false claims about “gender-affirming care” so it can “gauge the harm” the claims may be inflicting.
President Donald Trump’s administration issued an executive order in January commanding the administration to end “gender-affirming care,” which involves procedures they view as “destructive and life-altering.”
The FTC says it “launched a public inquiry to better understand how consumers may have been exposed to false or unsupported claims about ‘gender-affirming care,’ especially as it relates to minors, and to gauge the harms consumers may be experiencing.”
“Gender-affirming” care refers to medical and psychological treatments, including hormone therapy, speech therapy, and genital reconstruction. Many proponents have said the treatment can be life-saving for LGBT youths, but opponents describe it as child abuse.
“The FTC seeks to evaluate whether consumers (in particular, minors) have been harmed and whether medical professionals or others may have violated Sections 5 and 12 of the FTC Act by failing to disclose material risks associated with ‘gender-affirming care’ or making false or unsubstantiated claims about the benefits or effectiveness of ‘gender-affirming care,’” they added in a statement.
As part of the inquiry, the FTC is asking the public questions concerning whether they’ve ever visited a healthcare provider that has recommended “gender-affirming” care, whether they have ever received it, whether they are aware of any providers treating patients with “gender-affirming” care, and whether they are aware of any people or entities promoting or advertising the care.
The agency held a workshop on “gender-affirming” care earlier this month. FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, a Republican, spoke during the meeting in support of eliminating “gender-affirming” care.
He slammed the Biden administration for its policies on the issue before telling stories about people who regretted transitioning.
“Unfortunately, these stories are common,” he said.
“The path to puberty blockers, hormone injections, and sex-change surgery often begins with a young person struggling with various mental health issues, who recently underwent a personal crisis. At a loss for how to help their child, parents seek the advice of medical specialists who they believe will provide objective, evidence-based guidance,” he added.
Ferguson then said parents are confronted with a question of whether they should consent to the special care or see their child die or be at risk of committing suicide.
“As one of the most public champions of these therapies explained more than a decade ago, we often ask parents, ‘Would you rather have a dead son than a live daughter?’” he said.
Kaiser Permanente, one of the country’s largest healthcare providers, announced last week that it plans to halt transgender operations on minors. D.C. Children’s National Hospital also said it would stop prescribing “gender-affirming” medication.
KAISER PERMANENTE ENDS TRANSGENDER OPERATIONS FOR MINORS AFTER TRUMP ORDER
Trump’s January executive order prohibits the type of care, saying the policy of the country is to “not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures.”
Members of the public will have until Sept. 26 to submit comments to the FTC.