Gender transition of minors is bad medicine. So says the Alaska State Medical Board, which unanimously adopted a statement urging the Alaska Legislature to outlaw chemical castration and surgical gender transition treatments for minors.
The statement, sent to all 60 members of the Legislature, reflects growing national scrutiny over such interventions.
The Board’s statement was signed by Board Chair Dr. Brent Taylor and Legislative Liaison Dr. Matt Heilala. It said:
“The Alaska State Medical Board opposes hormonal and surgical treatments for gender dysphoria in minors due to insufficient evidence of long-term benefits and risks of irreversible harm. We view these interventions as lacking legitimacy as standard medical practice for those under the age of 18 years old. We support legislative limits on such treatments and promote psychological support and counseling as safer alternatives. This reflects our duty to protect patients and uphold evidence-based care.”
The Board of Medicine’s statement aligns with measures taken by multiple states across the country, where concerns about the irreversible nature of gender transition treatments for minors have led to legislative bans. The medical board’s position echoes arguments presented by many in the medical and policy communities who cite potential long-term physical and psychological complications arising from puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender-affirming surgeries.
“Alaska Family Council has been working tirelessly on this issue for some time and was privileged in 2023 to bring up Chloe Cole, a national voice on the harms of sex change medical procedures, to shed light on this matter and encourage people to take a stand against this madness,” the group reported Saturday.
Alaska has not been on the forefront of protecting children. But President Donald Trump reinforced this stance with an Executive Order earlier this year, stating, “Countless children soon regret that they have been mutilated and begin to grasp the horrifying tragedy that they will never be able to conceive children of their own or nurture their children through breastfeeding. Moreover, these vulnerable youths’ medical bills may rise throughout their lifetimes, as they are often trapped with lifelong medical complications, a losing war with their own bodies, and, tragically, sterilization.”
The growing body of research cited in policy discussions includes more than 60 studies challenging claims that puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender reassignment surgeries improve long-term mental health outcomes for minors or that they prevent suicides. Some like Chloe Cole argue these procedures pose severe risks, particularly for children who may not have the cognitive maturity to make life-altering medical decisions, as happened to her when she was a preteen and teen. She is now a champion for protecting children from what happened to her.
Despite ASMB’s strong recommendation, legislative action remains uncertain due to the current heavy Democratic and liberal composition of Alaska’s state government. With Democrats holding control of both the House and Senate, the likelihood of a bill passing to ban these procedures appears low.
In early 2024, Republican Rep. Jamie Allard introduced a bill seeking to hold medical professionals legally accountable for performing gender transition treatments on minors. The bill was offered late in the legislative season and didn’t make it through the Senate.
The governor could have introduced a bill to ban the procedures but did not.
Given the potential legislative gridlock, the medical board may collaborate with Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor and the Department of Law to explore regulatory measures that could impose restrictions on medical providers who offer gender transition treatments to minors.
These efforts could mirror actions taken in Florida, where the state’s Board of Medicine became the first in the country to prohibit puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgeries for minors. Following that decision, the Florida Legislature solidified the policy by passing a statewide ban, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law.
