Head Of The American Medical Association Claims Transgender Treatments For Children Are Vital

In a report on "Challenges Facing America's Doctors" by CBS News, Ehrenfeld accused state bans on abortion and transgender treatments for children of "criminalizing health care." He believes that health care is under attack and that lawmakers are discarding science and telling physicians how to practice medicine by putting barriers to care. Texas and Indiana recently joined over a dozen nationwide states that banned gender surgeries and hormone therapies for minors.

Medical groups and advocates for the trans community have criticized the legislation, saying the treatment is vital to the mental health of trans youth. Ehrenfeld, who leads the country's largest group of physicians and medical students, fears that he could be jailed for providing "ethical and scientific" medical care to patients because of these bans. He stated that practicing evidence-based care could lead to imprisonment in at least six states. CBS News did not offer opposing voices to counter the doctor's claim in the segment.

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Ehrenfeld described himself as an advocate of "science-based medicine" and complained that "backseat drivers" were "telling us what to do" on reproductive care and "gender-affirming care" for transgender patients. He blamed lawmakers for "discarding science and telling physicians how to practice medicine" by "putting barriers [up] to care." He said these laws were "deeply damaging" to health care, giving the example of OB-GYNs leaving states where they could not offer abortions to women.

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This is at least the second report this week by a media organization profiling a doctor pushing transgender treatments for minors. PBS News profiled Brown University professor of pediatrics and clinician educator Dr. Michelle Forcier, who dismissed the notion that kids are too young to understand their gender issues. She compared a child understanding they are transgender to feeling like they have an earache. Forcier said, "It's important that we listen to kids. It doesn't mean that a kid says, 'I'm trans,' and two hours later they get hormones. It means that we respect kids as individuals."

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The AMA President's statements come amid a growing debate over the rights of transgender individuals and the role of medical professionals in providing care. While some states have banned gender-affirming care for minors, medical groups and advocates for the trans community have criticized the legislation, saying the treatment is vital to the mental health of trans youth. The issue remains contentious, with both sides arguing for their respective positions.