FTC sues medical group over trans care statements
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The Federal Trade Commission and four states on Wednesday sued a trade group for gender-affirming care providers, claiming it made false and unsubstantiated claims about the benefits of transition-related services.
Why it matters: The complaint in a federal court in Texas opens another front in the Trump administration's efforts to limit the availability of puberty blockers, hormone therapies and other forms of care.
- The FTC has been investigating medical groups over claims surrounding the benefits of gender-affirming care. A federal judge in May blocked an attempt to subpoena two groups' internal records and other information.
Driving the news: The FTC alleged the World Professional Association for Transgender Health failed to disclose side effects and misrepresented the medical necessity of gender-affirming medical care for minors.
- WPATH members have "profited immensely from the organization's work ... at the expense of children and their parents," FTC director of public affairs Joe Simonson told reporters.
- Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas are joining the FTC in the suit, which is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas — a focal point of other administration efforts to curtail transition care.
Zoom in: The FTC charges that WPATH's most recent clinical recommendations for providers aren't reliable medical guidance.
- "WPATH disregarded established guideline‑development standards, ignored the results of its own evidence reviews, and removed age limits in response to external pressure rather than scientific evidence," the complaint asserts.
- The complaint cites a 2025 HHS report that found weak evidence for pediatric gender-affirming medical interventions, as well as reviews from the United Kingdom and guidelines from Sweden and Finland.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups have said the HHS report misrepresents the current medical consensus and realities of care.
Context: The FTC under Chairman Andrew Ferguson last year launched an inquiry into whether health providers are failing to disclose risks connected with gender-affirming care or are making false claims about its benefits.
- The commission has since found "substantial evidence" of consumer injury from gender-affirming care for minors, FTC officials said.
The other side: The FTC "is not a medical provider and has no place interfering with the process of individualized medical decision-making and ... does not have any jurisdiction over WPATH and its noncommercial speech," WPATH said in a statement, adding that it supports individualized patient care and not a uniform approach.
- Kellan Baker, a senior adviser at Movement Advancement Project, a think tank advocating for LGBTQ equality, told Axios the FTC investigation "is not a good-faith consumer protection investigation, but a campaign to use government power and resources to harass and intimidate a legitimate medical organization because of its views."
Reality check: Gender-affirming care for minors is supported by major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association.
- Drugs like puberty blockers and hormone therapy are intended to be prescribed based on individuals' needs and surgeries for minors are rare. A study published in JAMA found almost no instances in minors under 15 in 2019, and about two per 100,000 for those age 15 to 17.
- Researchers have found such interventions lowered the odds of depression and suicidal thoughts in transgender youths. Still, the FTC lawsuit argues that representations that gender-affirming care for minors is "lifesaving" are unsubstantiated.
The story has been updated with additional reporting.
