The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), along with several states, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) for allegedly assisting medical providers in making “false and unsubstantiated claims to parents” in an effort to sell pediatric “gender-affirming” therapies, drugs, and surgeries.
In a statement, the FTC described WPATH as “an association of clinicians who profit from pediatric medical transition services, recommended medical interventions, including drugs and surgery, for children and adolescents who expressed dissatisfaction with or distress about their sex traits.” The states that joined the FTC in the lawsuit are Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas.
The FTC explained that “these recommendations misled parents and children about the medical consensus and medical necessity, as well as the safety and effectiveness, of such services, in violation of the FTC Act.” The FTC’s complaint claims that Section 5(a) of the FTC Act prohibits “unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.”
The agency also claims that Section 12 of the FTC Act “prohibits the dissemination of any false advertisement in or affecting commerce for the purpose of inducing, or which is likely to induce, the purchase of food, drugs, devices, services, or cosmetics.” Both puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones are considered a “drug” in this regard.
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson explained the importance of parents having scientifically accurate information to make decisions, as opposed to the ideologically and profit-motivated claims of transgender activists.
“Today, the FTC filed a lawsuit against WPATH alleging that the organization made false and unsubstantiated claims regarding the necessity, effectiveness and safety of puberty blockers, hormones and sex-change surgeries,” Ferguson said. “Children, but especially their parents, must have complete and truthful information when making decisions to purchase medical services.”
FTC explained that WPATH “omitted all mention of age limitations for breast amputation or penis removal from the ‘Standards of Care’ document providing the organization’s official recommendations for treating sex-trait-related dissatisfaction or distress in children” in 2022. The agency alleged that WPATH’s decision was not based on medical evidence.
The complaint also claimed that WPATH failed to disclose side effects of pediatric medical transition services and that parents seeking help for their children in some cases were asked by clinicians if they “would rather have a live daughter or a dead son,” using such fearmonger tactics to pressure parents into signing off on dangerous, life-altering “treatments.”
The FTC adds that “despite the absence of competent and reliable scientific evidence, WPATH’s guidelines label nearly every pediatric transition service as ‘medically necessary’ to maximize the likelihood that insurers will pay for the pediatric transition procedures.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said organizations such as WPATH that promote irreversible transitioning procedures to minors will face consequences under the law.
“Any group that illegally promotes irreversible, life-altering ‘transitioning’ procedures to kids as safe and necessary will face the full force of the law for harming children,” Paxton said. “We will not allow WPATH or any other organization to illegally promote or perform dangerous ‘transitioning’ procedures on our kids that leave them with permanent trauma and lifelong health consequences.”
Sex-change operations are irreversible for the children who receive them. These procedures often leave children permanently scarred and unable to have children of their own in the future. This effort from the FTC as well as these states is to ensure that parents receive accurate information moving forward in order to make better decisions that do not cause irreversible harm to their children.
Alan Jamison is the pen name of a political writer with extensive experience writing for several notable politicians and news outlets.
