Genspect Canada Supports HHS Report on Paediatric Gender Medicine

On May 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a landmark 409-page report titled Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices. This report represents one of the most comprehensive evaluations to date of the scientific literature and ethical considerations related to paediatric gender medicine.

While the report was commissioned under a politically controversial executive order, its findings are anything but partisan. Instead, the report is built upon a solid foundation of systematic evidence reviews—the highest standard of evidence in clinical science. These reviews assess the entirety of available data across numerous studies and have been conducted independently in countries such as Sweden, Finland, England, and Canada.

Key Findings:

• Weak Evidence Base: The report underscores that the current evidence supporting medical interventions—puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries—for minors is of very low quality. There are no high-quality randomized controlled trials demonstrating long-term benefit.
• Documented Risks: These interventions carry known risks, including infertility, loss of bone density, disrupted psychosocial development, and impaired sexual function. These are not hypothetical concerns—they are well-documented outcomes.
• Ethical Violations: The report cites the Nuremberg Code and the Belmont Report, cornerstones of medical ethics, which state that no research should proceed without a favourable risk/benefit profile. Paediatric gender medicine fails to meet this ethical standard.
• Support for Psychotherapy: Instead of irreversible medicalization, the report strongly advocates for non-invasive therapeutic approaches, urging clinicians to address underlying mental health and developmental factors.

Far from being ideologically motivated, the HHS report reflects a growing international consensus that the medical treatment of gender-distressed youth has outpaced the evidence. In recognizing the urgent need to protect vulnerable patients from unproven and potentially harmful interventions, the report aligns with reforms already underway in much of Europe.

Genspect Canada supports the findings of this report and calls on the Canadian government—at both the federal and provincial levels—to commission a similarly rigorous, independent review of our approach to paediatric gender medicine. A transparent and evidence-based evaluation is urgently needed to ensure that policies and practices in Canada uphold the highest standards of scientific integrity, medical ethics, and child safeguarding. The health and future of so many vulnerable young people depend upon it.

For more on Genspect Canada, visit: https://genspect.org/international/genspect-canada/
Media inquiries: Contact Mia Hughes, Director of Genspect Canada, at mia@genspect.org