Dr. Mike Kennedy on Banning Gender-Affirming Care for Minors

Support for the Do No Harm and Medicaid Act

• 🎯 Dr. Kennedy expresses support for the Do No Harm and Medicaid Act, aiming to prevent taxpayer funding of gender transition procedures for minors.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 He emphasizes the desire for children to grow up healthy, supported, and empowered, opposing life-altering medical procedures and hormone treatments for them.

Medical Ethics and Evidence Review

• 🩺 As a family doctor of over 25 years, Dr. Kennedy states his oath is to do no harm and provide evidence-supported treatments.
• ⚖️ He cites the 2024 Cass Review from the UK, which concluded that the scientific evidence supporting puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries for minors is remarkably weak.
• ⚠️ The review found no strong long-term evidence that these interventions improve mental or physical health outcomes for minors, nor robust data on their safety or developmental impact.

US Department of Health and Human Services Report

• 📊 A recent peer-reviewed report from the US Department of Health and Human Services concluded that harms from treatments like puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries are significant and long-term.
• 📉 The evidence for these interventions in minors is weak and insufficiently tracked, particularly concerning fertility, psychological well-being, and quality of life.

Legislative Action and Personal Experience

• 🏛️ Dr. Kennedy led the passage of legislation in Utah in 2023 to ban transgender treatments and procedures for minors.
• ✊ He acknowledges facing death threats and vandalism from activists but remains committed to federal solutions to protect children.
• 👏 He commends the 25 other states that have enacted similar protections and urges colleagues to follow the scientific evidence.