On February 3rd, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) released a pivotal statement rejecting sex-rejecting surgeries in youth under 19, “citing the weak evidence base and potential long-term harm to young people” (Source: Gender Clinic News).
The ASPS statement marks a definitive break from the positions of other major medical associations, which support sex-rejecting procedures for minors. The ASPS statement reads, in part: “Consistent with ASPS’s August 2024 statement that the overall evidence base for gender-related endocrine and surgical interventions is low certainty, and in light of recent publications reporting very low/low certainty of evidence regarding mental health outcomes, along with emerging concerns about potential long-term harms and the irreversible nature of surgical interventions in a developmental vulnerable population, 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. ASPS recommends that surgeons delay gender-related breast/chest, genital, and facial surgery until a patient is at least 19 years old.”
The ASPS, which cites evidence-based reviews, the UK’s Cass Report, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report on Pediatric Gender Dysphoria (Nov. 2025) as the basis for their new position, affirms “that truly humane, ethical, and just care, particularly for children and adolescents, must balance compassion with scientific rigor, developmental considerations, and concern for long-term welfare.”
The ASPS statement may well prove to be a tipping point in the “transgender” medical scandal. In response to the ASPS statement, an American Medical Association spokesperson appeared to soften the AMA’s endorsement of sex-rejecting procedures, stating that the AMA now “generally” opposes the controversial surgeries in minors (Source: The National Review). The American Academy of Pediatrics and other endorsers of sex-rejecting interventions will face increasing pressure to change course, in light of the ASPS statement and the first victorious medical malpractice lawsuit by a de-transitioner against her therapist and surgeon.
To read the ASPS’s official position statement, click here. You can find additional analysis with Gender Clinic News and The Manhattan Institute.
