HHS official says review finds gender‑affirming interventions for minors carry serious risks; department releases peer reviews

Admiral Brian Christine, the Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services, issued a departmental statement saying an HHS‑commissioned review finds certain medical interventions for minors carry significant risks and urging parents and clinicians to consult the report and independent peer reviews.

Christine said the report was produced after HHS ‘‘worked with 9 academics with professional backgrounds in medicine, bioethics, psychology, and philosophy’’ and described it as "the most comprehensive review to date of the standard of care for gender dysphoria in minors." He said the review is roughly 400 pages and that the department is also releasing "nearly 200 pages of independent peer reviews" that it says confirm the report's ‘‘accuracy and the integrity of our findings.’’

The statement links rising numbers of young people questioning their gender to the review’s release. Christine said "the number of children and adolescents who reject their biological [redacted] has risen dramatically," and that "trans identifying teens nearly doubled from 2022 to 2023," framing those trends as background for the review.

Summarizing the report’s conclusions, Christine said the review finds that the cited interventions — described in the transcript with redactions — are "dangerous." He listed health concerns that, according to his statement, are associated with those interventions: "They can cause infertility, a loss of [redacted] function, reduced bone density, metabolic and cognitive effects, and certainly surgical complications. They can scar kids both physically and emotionally for life, and they can do irreversible harm." He urged ‘‘physicians and parents to read this report and protect children from fraudulent procedures.’’

The statement also included an explicit political critique: Christine said, "The prior administration and my predecessor, Rachel Levine, manipulated and betrayed vulnerable families," and contrasted that claim with a pledge that the current administration will be "guided by gold standard science" and "radical transparency."

Christine cited policy changes in other countries, saying that "around the world, countries like The United Kingdom, Sweden, and Finland have already shifted course, emphasizing psychotherapy and mental health support for children," and he called for the United States to do likewise.

The department did not specify any immediate regulatory or statutory actions in the statement. The transcript closes with a blessing from Christine and a production note: "Produced by the US Department of Health and Human Services." No timetable or follow‑up steps were stated in the release.

(Reporter note: quotes and paraphrases above are from the HHS statement attributed to Admiral Brian Christine; the transcript includes redactions indicated here as [redacted].)