(LifeSiteNews) — So-called “gender-affirming care” for teens is unsupported by scientific evidence, the president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons confirmed recently.
However, he also made false statements about individuals being able to change their sex and suggested restrictions on abortion harm women’s health.
Dr. Steven Williams recently participated in an Instagram discussion with Dr. Blair Peters, a pro-LGBT surgeon who uses social media to support chemical and surgical mutilation of children. The September 5 discussion came after the ASPS, which Williams currently leads, said it opposes removing healthy body parts from gender-confused kids.
During the interview Peters tried, but failed, to get Williams to withdraw the group’s opposition. City Journal‘s Leor Sapir first reported on the group’s opposition, based on a comment it gave him. “ASPS acknowledged that there is ‘considerable uncertainty as to the long-term efficacy for the use of chest and genital surgical interventions’ and that ‘the existing evidence base is viewed as low quality/low certainty,’” Sapir reported in August.
However, Dr. Williams suggested that evidence is supportive of “gender-affirming care” for adults. This is a misleading statement since it is a biological truth and a moral fact that no one can change his sex.
— Matt Lamb (@MattLamb22) September 17, 2024
Peters said, “low quality evidence” does not mean “evidence that is bad.”
Williams said Peters was “exactly right,” but said the “quality of evidence has to be really good before we’re going to advocate these types of procedures in adolescents,” he said, emphasizing the last portion. Williams said data is just one part however, and while it is “necessary,” there are other “elements.”
The plastic surgeon also pushed back on Peters’ assertion that no one is specifically advocating for teens to get transgender surgeries. Williams pointed out that there are concerns with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) which is often cited as an authority on standards for gender-confused adults.
The LGBT activist group, according to official court documents, “incorporated policy language deeming ‘gender transition’ procedures ‘medically necessary’ into its official standards of care as a ‘tool’ to pressure insurance companies to cover them rather than as an objective medical conclusion,” as LifeSiteNews reported in July. WPATH reportedly excluded data from Johns Hopkins University researchers that undermined the group’s claims.
— Matt Lamb (@MattLamb22) September 17, 2024
“Not just WPATH, but all organizations have to be forthcoming with their data,” Williams said.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and Peters did not respond to requests for comment from LifeSiteNews.
LifeSiteNews asked Peters for any further thoughts he had after the livestream. LifeSiteNews also asked him via email on September 12 if there are any situations where he recommends against surgical and chemical interventions.
LifeSiteNews asked the American Society of Plastic Surgeons if the group believes it is possible for someone to change his sex.
Data has shown that transgender drugs and surgeries are linked to suicide, bone density loss, and infertility, among other problems raised by both American and European medical experts and associations.
Peters downplays regrets about transgender surgeries
About halfway through the discussion, Peters said there is a “narrative” of regret about surgeries being used to restrict the procedures.
“We as surgeons have to be talking about this, because the reality is, is, it’s often the few folks who are out there, isolated stories of regret, being flown state to state to testify,” that is being used to pass legislation against surgeries.
— Matt Lamb (@MattLamb22) September 17, 2024
However, regret about having healthy body parts is well-established by the stories of “detransitioners” and multiple lawsuits. Furthermore, the National Health Service in the United Kingdom has begun providing detransitioning procedures.
Peters said there are some people who regret. Williams said some of these stories of regret are being “exploited,” but these stories should be listened to.
Near the end of the discussion, Williams repeated an argument that restricting abortion harms women’s health.
Williams said he opposes efforts to “criminalize abortion” and suggested it leads to worse maternal health outcomes. However, this claim has been repeatedly debunked.
The president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons believes pro-life laws hurt women’s maternal health.
However, this claim has repeatedly been debunked. pic.twitter.com/Q6vORWt0Qk
— Matt Lamb (@MattLamb22) September 17, 2024
He also said he opposed criminalizing transgender surgeries.
Medical reform group criticizes claims of so-called ‘gender affirming care’
A medical reform group run by a former associate dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s medical school criticized comments made during the discussion.
“So-called ‘gender-affirming care’ describes a program of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and/or sex-change surgeries to cope with gender dysphoria,” Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, the founder of Do No Harm, told LifeSiteNews via a media statement.
“However, gender dysphoria desist in over 80% of cases while these damaging treatments can inflict irreversible harm. As the ASPS president points out, there is just not enough evidence to support ‘gender-affirming care,’ for minors,” Goldfarb, a former medical school dean, told LifeSiteNews. “The ‘studies’ supporting this experimental sex-change therapy for minors are terribly flawed and do not provide sufficient evidence to justify these treatments.”
He said there is politicization of medical care and pressure for groups to take certain positions.
“Major medical organizations have failed to protect healthcare from activism and ideology,” he said. “But the problem runs deeper.”
These organizations, such as the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychiatric Association, actively promote politicized healthcare,” Goldfarb warned. “Activists are taking over the medical system, resulting in a rejection of evidence-based care and permanent harm to children.”
He said gender-confused kids should not be treated as “ideological experiments.”
“These children commonly have associated psychological problems and often psychiatric care is the best approach.”