Describing the accounts of several people who underwent gender medical treatments and later regretted it, a new report makes a case as to why the transgender industry must be stopped and held accountable for the harms and abuses it inflicts on vulnerable individuals.
The American Principles Project (APP) published the report in July because “transgenderism was pushed into the national spotlight during the 2024 presidential election as never before,” and “as poll after poll confirms, a growing supermajority of Americans rejects the radical claims and practices of radical gender ideology, and demands political accountability,” the study states.
The report, “Transgender Accountability: Holding an Industry Responsible for Its Harms,” with no specific author, summarizes the recent history of pediatric medical transition and the role politics has played in the growth of the industry, and provides an analysis of two case studies of patients who underwent gender treatments and the physical and emotional harms they suffered. The individuals are now trying to reverse the effects of those treatments.
Do Harm
Providers have failed to abide by the Hippocratic Oath of ‘do no harm,’ states the report.
“To neglect the mental health care needs of members of an already vulnerable population of youth with complex psychiatric, neurodevelopmental, and psycho- social challenges is to deny them a benefit to which they are entitled, and to expose them to medically unnecessary risk of harm is to impose a burden unduly,” states the report, adding, “In almost any other circumstance, what these individuals underwent would result in serious professional or legal consequences for the responsible parties,” states the report.
Trade Investigation
The report calls for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to launch a “multifront campaign” to investigate deceptive or unfair practices regarding pediatric medical transition.
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, in public remarks on July 9 said his agency is the “federal government’s guardian against false and deceptive health claims.” Provisions under the Federal Trade Commission Act , said Ferguson, can hold promoters of pediatric medical transition responsible for their claims.
The report outlines ways the FTC can take action, including seeking restrictive court orders, freezing assets, and imposing fines.
The government can also investigate whether manufacturers and distributors misrepresented drugs used for transition treatment under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and probe pharmaceutical companies for “their advocacy for liberalizing access to treatments” that may include their products, and any financial incentives they may offer physicians to prescribe their products.
“The government is on our side for once,” said APP President Terry Schilling. “You have a government to secure your rights from [malicious] practices.”
Informed Consent
One of the most critical areas to address is informed consent, says Al Oliva, M.D., a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon and longtime opponent of transition treatment.
“A physician explains to the patients the perceived benefit of going through this procedure and the risks,” said Oliva. “A patient can then make the decision whether they want to undergo the risk to achieve the benefits.”
Young people are not capable of giving informed consent, says Oliva.
“An adolescent cannot fully perceive risk,” said Oliva. “They cannot make these decisions. They have an undeveloped prefrontal cortex.”
Parents are the ultimate decision-makers, but studies are based on self-reporting by biased organizations and often pick hand-selected participants, says Shilling.
“The datasets and research they conduct are inadequate,” said Schilling. “They lose track of people, and participants stop responding. Unfortunately, a lot of people who underwent transitioning have committed suicide or de-transitioned.”
Lawsuit Power
Lawsuits by people who regret having undergone these procedures will discourage physicians from performing these treatments, says Oliva.
“Malpractice claims by de-transitioners will be a wake-up call to physicians, and practices will eventually shut down,” said Oliva. “The claims that these interventions are reversible is completely false, as these de-transitioners are truly injured, and injured for life,” said Oliva.
Although lawsuits are effective in gaining redress, they can be slow and are often defensive rather than offensive, says Shilling.
“We need laws that prevent this type of harm being done to our children,” said Schilling. “The institutions responsible for safeguarding Americans from these types of atrocities are safeguarding those who perpetrate them. Sexual changes on minors are the most basic thing that any society should ban. We want to use the full force of the federal government to protect the people.”
The report states that the obstacles plaintiffs face in litigation are insurmountable. “They have neither the means nor the time and energy to prosecute campaigns against some of the most 837powerful corporate and medical entities in the world,” states the report. “Accountability requires the state to intervene in their defense.”
Federal Action
On May 1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices,” a report published against the backdrop of growing international concern about pediatric medical transition.”
The HHS report is strong and authoritative, says Schilling.
“It provides a legal basis for pushing back,” said Schilling.
Before the HHS report was released, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi published a plan of action to stop pediatric medical transition. The memo for “All Department Employees” defines transgender treatment involving “female genital mutilation” as a possible state crime, and that the Department of Justice must be ready to assist states with prosecution.
Bondi’s plan calls for her department to investigate violations under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and push for the termination of any U.S alliance with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and other organizations promoting medical pediatric gender transition.
The plan also calls for federal legislation to create a “private right of action” for parents and children, with a “long statute of limitations and retroactive liability.”
Ashley Bateman ([email protected]) writes from Virginia.
Internet info:
“Transgender Accountability: Holding an Industry Responsible for Its Harms,” American Principles Project, July 8, 2025: https://americanprinciplesproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2025-fraud-trans-report_final_digital-2-1.pdf
