HSS Announcement
HSS Announcement
WASHINGTON, DC- In a nationally televised announcement, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. outlined a sweeping shift in federal policy aimed at restricting medical interventions related to gender dysphoria in minors. Framing the issue as one of child protection and medical ethics, Kennedy argued that current practices have strayed from evidence-based care and violated medicine’s foundational principle of Hippocratic tradition, to “do no harm.”
According to statements made during the HHS announcement, Kennedy stated that adolescents are being “conditioned to believe that sex can be changed,” calling such approaches a betrayal of the Hippocratic Oath. He described puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical interventions as neither safe nor effective for children, citing a recent peer-reviewed report from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health that concluded these procedures pose significant medical risks and long-term harm.
As part of the announcement, Kennedy confirmed that HHS has formally declared sex-rejecting procedures to be outside professionally recognized standards of care for minors. Under this declaration, providers offering such interventions would be considered out of compliance with federal healthcare standards. He also announced two proposed CMS rules: one barring hospitals that participate in Medicare or Medicaid from performing these procedures on minors, and another prohibiting the use of federal Medicaid funds to pay for them.
Additional actions include FDA warning letters to manufacturers accused of illegally marketing breast binders to children for the treatment of gender dysphoria, and a move to reverse prior regulatory efforts that classified gender dysphoria as a disability under federal law. Kennedy argued that such classifications served commercial interests rather than vulnerable children and undermined the original intent of disability protections.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, cardiovascular surgeon and senior HHS official, reinforced the administration’s position, emphasizing the dangers of what he described as a “fast-track” medical approach driven by politicized medicine. He cited concerns over reduced bone density, altered brain development, infertility, cardiovascular risk, and irreversible physical changes associated with these interventions.
Both officials stressed that the new policies are guided by what they called “gold standard science,” informed consent, and transparency. The administration framed the initiative as part of a broader effort to curb over – medicalization and to prioritize the long-term health and well-being of children, particularly those covered by Medicaid and CHIP.
