The recent release of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report has marked a significant turning point in the debate over the so-called “affirmation care” model, particularly as it relates to minors experiencing gender dysphoria. Published on May 1, 2025, the report—commissioned under an executive order from President Donald Trump—takes a critical stance against the affirmation care approach, which prioritizes immediate validation of a child’s self-declared gender identity, often leading to medical interventions like puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and even surgeries. The HHS report, a comprehensive 400-page document, concludes that there is insufficient scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of these interventions and highlights the potential risks they pose to young people. This report is a long-overdue acknowledgment of the concerns that Women Speak Tasmania (WST) has been raising for years about the dangers of prioritising ideology over biology, particularly when it comes to the health and safety of children.
A Damning Critique of Affirmation Care
The HHS report is unflinching in its critique of the affirmation care model. After reviewing a vast body of scientific literature, the report finds that the evidence supporting gender-affirming medical interventions for minors is “very low” in quality. Many of the studies cited by proponents of affirmation care are riddled with methodological flaws, bias, and inadequate follow-up periods, making it impossible to draw reliable conclusions about the long-term outcomes of these treatments. The report also underscores the lack of understanding regarding the irreversible physical and physiological effects of puberty blockers and hormone therapy on developing bodies. These interventions, which are often framed as “life-saving” by activists, are revealed to be experimental at best, with potential harms that are not yet fully understood. Moreover, the report criticises the role of advocacy groups and medical associations in pushing these treatments without sufficient scientific backing, suggesting that their influence has stifled critical debate and led to a dangerous consensus built on shaky foundations.
Why This Matters to WST
For Women Speak Tasmania, this report is a vindication of our long-standing concerns. WST has consistently advocated for the protection of sex-based rights and the safeguarding of children from unproven and potentially harmful medical interventions. The affirmation care model, which often dismisses biological sex in favor of self-identified gender, threatens to erode the hard-won rights of women and girls while putting vulnerable children at risk. By challenging the scientific basis of this model, the HHS report provides a crucial counterbalance to the ideological narratives that have dominated public discourse. It reinforces WST’s position that biological sex is not a social construct but a material reality that must be recognized and protected, especially in contexts like healthcare, where the stakes are life-altering. The report’s findings are a powerful reminder that policies must be grounded in evidence, not activism.
A Shift in Policy and Practice
The implications of this report are profound. It has the potential to reshape the landscape of transgender healthcare, particularly for minors, by encouraging a more cautious, evidence-based approach. Policymakers and healthcare providers may now be compelled to reconsider the rush to medicalise children experiencing gender dysphoria, opting instead for less invasive interventions like psychotherapy, which the report highlights as a safer alternative. The report’s critique of medical associations and advocacy groups could also lead to greater accountability and transparency in how healthcare guidelines are developed. For WST, this is a crucial step toward ensuring that the rights of women and children are not sacrificed on the altar of ideology. It is a call to action for all who value truth, science, and the protection of vulnerable populations.
What This Means for Tasmania
Here in Tasmania, services like the Tasmanian Gender Service push affirmation care on minors. The HHS report should be a wake-up call for our policymakers and health providers. It’s time to ditch this ideology-driven approach and pivot to safer options—like psychotherapy—that don’t gamble with children’s futures. This shift isn’t just about health; it’s about restoring sanity to a system hijacked by pressure groups. For women, it’s a chance to reclaim our rights from policies that blur sex into meaningless identity categories.
By Dr. Elizabeth Caballero