For Immediate Release:
December 19, 2025
For More Information Contact:
connect@acpeds.org
ACPeds Applauds Secretary Kennedy and HHS for Prohibiting Hospitals from Performing Sex-Rejecting Procedures on Children
Atlanta, GA – Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), under the leadership of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced proposed regulatory actions to bar hospitals from performing sex-rejecting procedures on children. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will issue a proposed rule prohibiting hospitals from performing such procedures on individuals under age 18 as a condition of participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs.
These actions follow the direction set by Donald Trump’s executive order and are supported by the evidence and recommendations outlined in HHS’s recent report, Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices. This peer-reviewed analysis documents the medical risks and lack of reliable evidence supporting attempts to alter a child’s biological sex.
Since the executive order, The American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) has been tracking gender clinic closures in major U.S. hospitals and has consistently warned about the medical risks of sex-rejecting procedures on children.
Dr. Jill Simons, ACPeds Executive Director issued the following statement:
“The American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) applauds this action by HHS as a necessary step in preventing hospitals across the U.S. from performing harmful chemical and surgical interventions on minors, which are irreversible, unethical, and ideologically-driven practices.
To support pediatricians who seek to oppose these practices, ACPeds will launch ‘Doctor, Heal Thyself’ in 2026, an initiative that restores sound medical practice within the pediatric community and offers support and evidence-based research regarding the harms of sex-rejecting procedures on minors.”
To arrange an interview with Dr. Jill Simons please contact connect@acpeds.org.
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About the American College of Pediatricians
The American College of Pediatricians is a national organization of pediatricians and other healthcare professionals dedicated to the health and well-being of children.
For more information, please visit our website.
