The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is standing by its statement that there is currently not enough evidence to support so-called gender-affirming care (GAC) for minors, according to an interview with the organization’s president.
fox news digital Spoke with ASPS President Dr. Steven Williams about his current stance regarding GAC, including The use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgery that are being prescribed to minors who express concerns over their gender.
The United States is one of the few Western countries where minors can undergo penis surgery. According to a recent report by a Canadian think tank, in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden, the UK and three Canadian provinces, minors cannot have a double mastectomy before the age of 18, and in almost all European countries gender equality before the age of 18. Transformation surgery is not performed. Tank.
“We think there needs to be additional work and evidence available to support gender-affirming care in adolescents,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “The reason for this is that this is a particularly vulnerable population that is subject to many different influences and may not have the decision-making capacity that an adult has, so, because of that, it’s incredibly What’s important is that we make sure there is, right now, we don’t think there’s any solid evidence.”
transgender flag (Alison Diner/AFP via Getty Images)
ASPS, which represents 92% of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States and more than 11,000 plastic surgeons worldwide, promotes education, advocacy, practice support and advanced training in plastic surgery through ethics, physician Encourages high standards of practice and research. According to its website, public awareness of the value of plastic surgery.
ASP’s mentioned earlier Fox News Digital said in a statement that it “has not endorsed any organization’s practice recommendations for the treatment of adolescents gender dysphoriaThe group said that “there is considerable uncertainty about the long-term efficacy for the use of chest and genital surgical interventions” and “the existing evidence base is viewed as low quality/low certainty.”
The group’s statement continued, “ASPS is reviewing and prioritizing several initiatives to provide guidance to plastic surgeons that best support evidence-based gender surgical care.” “As members of the multidisciplinary care team, plastic surgeons have the responsibility to provide comprehensive education to the patient and maintain a robust and evidence-based informed consent process, so that the patient and their family have realistic expectations in terms of shared decision making. Can determine.”
Williams clarified that this has always been ASPS’s position on gender-affirming care, noting that the issue is complex because it is multidisciplinary, involving doctors. “Everyone may have different feelings, procedures, policies or may even have access to different research.”
“The American Society of Plastic Surgeons focuses on plastic surgery, patient safety and plastic surgery advancement, so I don’t know where endocrinologists should come in,” he said. “We are not at odds with any organization. It is our job to independently consider what is appropriate for our members, for our patients, and for the advancement of plastic surgery in a safe and ethical manner.”
However, Williams called it “a fallacy to say that every aesthetic operation that plastic surgeons perform is supported by unreliable evidence.”
“A lot of the surgeries we do don’t have solid evidence, which I know sounds kind of crazy,” he said. “But, when you think about a tummy tuck or liposuction, there’s not a lot of evidence to support whether it’s the best operation in the world or not.”
Sedation has become a growing choice among youth after gender-affirmation surgery.
A person who has had a double mastectomy. (Getty Images)
But, Williams argued that the difference is the informed consent of adults versus minors, which requires evidence to solidify the need or benefit of surgical procedures.
Williams said, “I think very few people would say that some cases of gender dysphoria should be excluded from psychiatric care or counseling or any kind of clinical help.” “We are recognizing that there needs to be medication included at some level because it is helpful and helpful. But, as you move toward more and more potentially permanent changes, the level of evidence to support those decisions will increase. Will have to be increased.”
He argued that adults, including those who have had tummy tucks or liposuction, have regrets, but those operations do not require a high level of data.
“Sometimes people (adults) can make a decision that they may later regret, but they have all the power and all the resources at their fingertips to make that decision and the reason is that teenagers have those There may not be similar tools and hence the evidence is to become stronger,” he said.
Surgery is typically a later step in the sex-change process, often following puberty blockers and hormones, which raises questions among critics: to what extent should surgeons determine the medical appropriateness or necessity of GAC surgery. Are responsible?
Williams said that surgery is “almost always the last part of any consideration, not just for teenagers, but for anyone” and “Whatever a plastic surgeon does, we do it because we think it’s a good thing.” The idea is, and we do it with the patient in mind.”
“No one told us you’d have to have an operation, right?” Williams said. “It’s our decision to evaluate the clinical evidence, talk with the patient and then potentially consult with specialists. But that’s true for everything. I don’t think I’ve ever done any surgery where I Said, ‘Well, they told me to do it, so I guess I don’t have a choice,’ it doesn’t exist.”
Protesters say they face vitriol from trans activists they previously considered a ‘second family’.
Williams said ASPS plans to conduct its own re-evaluation of the data and literature. (Adobe Stock)
