{"id":319577,"date":"2024-09-28T13:33:50","date_gmt":"2024-09-28T18:33:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=319577"},"modified":"2024-09-30T11:14:14","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T16:14:14","slug":"20-ags-demand-retraction-american-academy-pediatrics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/20-ags-demand-retraction-american-academy-pediatrics\/","title":{"rendered":"20 state AGs send letter demanding retraction from American Academy of Pediatrics"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/publications.aap.org\/pediatrics\/article\/142\/4\/e20182162\/37381\/Ensuring-Comprehensive-Care-and-Support-for\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">policy statement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 2018 written by 19 co-authors, titled, &#8220;Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents.&#8221; This policy was reaffirmed in 2023 and is mentioned in a letter of concern, signed by the attorneys general of 20 states, regarding &#8220;AAP\u2019s Compliance with State Consumer Protection Laws.&#8221; The AGs give reasons as to why they believe the AAP&#8217;s claim that the effects of &#8220;puberty blockers&#8221; are &#8220;reversible&#8221; may qualify as &#8220;false, misleading, or deceptive&#8221; under state consumer protection laws. Therefore, this claim &#8220;requires immediate retraction and correction.&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Providers rely on the AAP when they make treatment decisions, [and] parents and their children are harmed by the AAP\u2019s misleading and deceptive claim,&#8221; the letter states. &#8220;When pediatricians are told by the AAP that treating children with puberty blockers is &#8216;reversible,&#8217; that claim becomes part of the medical discussion and decision making with parents and children.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Live Action News has previously noted, the abortion industry <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/planned-parenthood-abortion-hand-transgender-profits\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is inexorably linked<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-facilities-transgender-planned-parenthood-younger\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">lucrative<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/transgender-identifying-individuals-planned-parenthood-cash-cows\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">business<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of &#8220;gender-affirming care&#8221; \u2014 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/undercover-sting-planned-parenthood-14yo-transgender\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">especially<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> abortion industry leader <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/planned-parenthood-promotes-benefits-transgender-ideology\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Planned Parenthood<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Some of the authors of the reaffirmed 2023 AAP transgender policy statement either have ties to Planned Parenthood or endorse extremely <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pro-abortion<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This should set off alarm bells for those who believe the AAP is a neutral organization focused on the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Letter<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The September 24 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/73A80108-00AE-45CE-AED3-5B85516327CB.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">letter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to the AAP from the office of Idaho Attorney General Ra\u00fal Labrador and signed jointly by the attorneys general of 19 additional states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia) as well as the Arizona Senate president and Arizona House Speaker, noted that the Academy&#8217;s shift away from science in the area of health for youth who identify as transgender is unacceptable and deceptive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It reads:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">..[F]or the most part, [AAP] has not allowed non-medical considerations to infiltrate its guidance to physicians and parents. But when it comes to treating children diagnosed with gender dysphoria, the AAP has abandoned its commitment to sound medical judgment.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2023, it \u201creaffirmed\u201d the 2018 AAP policy statement on gender-affirming care. That policy statement endorses treating minors diagnosed with gender dysphoria with puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical interventions. And it tells physicians, the public, and parents and their children that puberty blockers used to treat adolescents with gender dysphoria are \u201creversible.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The letter&#8217;s authors note unequivocally, &#8220;That statement is misleading and deceptive. It is beyond medical debate that puberty blockers are not fully reversible but instead come with serious long-term consequences,&#8221; later adding, &#8220;Telling parents and children that puberty blockers are &#8216;reversible&#8217; at the very least conveys assurance that no permanent harm or change will occur.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The letter notes that England&#8217;s National Health Service (NHS) &#8220;commissioned a report to make recommendations for treating minors with gender dysphoria and to ensure that children experiencing gender dysphoria receive high-quality care that is safe, holistic, and effective.&#8221; This is referring to the Cass Report, which found &#8220;several possible irreversible consequences&#8221; of administering &#8220;puberty blockers&#8221; to children during or before puberty, including:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(1) may interfere with neurocognitive development;\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(2) compromise bone density and may negatively affect metabolic health and weight; and\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(3) block normal pubertal experience and experimentation.8 And when puberty blocker use is followed directly by cross-sex hormone use, which is often the case, infertility and sterility is a known consequence, at least for those who began puberty blockers in early puberty.<\/span><\/i><i><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The letter adds that the &#8220;cornerstone source&#8221; for the AAP&#8217;s information \u2014 the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/wpath.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WPATH<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) \u2014 has been &#8220;exposed as unreliable and influenced by improper pressures.&#8221; The public officials are &#8220;additionally concerned&#8221; that the AAP has exerted pressure upon WPATH to make changes to its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1080\/26895269.2022.2100644\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">current standards of care<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8220;based on political considerations&#8221; while &#8220;assuring the public that those same standards are &#8216;evidence-based.'&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The authors point out that not even the World Health Organization endorses &#8220;puberty blockers&#8221; or other &#8220;gender-affirming care&#8221; for children, and that many nations &#8220;are intervening to protect children against these untested treatments&#8221; which are not backed by proper research. They have requested the AAP to respond to 14 different questions no later than October 8. The letter and questions may be read <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/73A80108-00AE-45CE-AED3-5B85516327CB.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Policy&#8217;s Authors<\/b><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_319578\" style=\"width: 899px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-319578\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-319578\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AAP-2018-Transgender-Policy-authors.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"889\" height=\"368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AAP-2018-Transgender-Policy-authors.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AAP-2018-Transgender-Policy-authors-300x124.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AAP-2018-Transgender-Policy-authors-700x289.jpg 700w, https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AAP-2018-Transgender-Policy-authors-768x317.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AAP-2018-Transgender-Policy-authors-500x207.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 889px) 100vw, 889px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-319578\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">AAP 2018 Transgender Policy authors<\/p><\/div>\n<p><b>Lead author uncertain about reversibility?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Jason Rafferty, MD<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, lead author of the AAP&#8217;s transgender policy statement originally published in <\/span><b>2018<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and reaffirmed in <\/span><b>2023<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, also authored a <\/span><b>2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> AAP-published <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/publications.aap.org\/pediatrics\/article-abstract\/144\/3\/e20192000\/38395\/Fertility-Preservation-Outcomes-and-Considerations?redirectedFrom=fulltext\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">commentary<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> regarding &#8220;fertility preservation outcomes and considerations&#8221; for youth who consider themselves to be transgender. Though the full commentary is not available to non-AAP members, the viewable portion of the introductory statement contains some interesting information that may lend credence to the idea that the effects of &#8220;puberty blockers&#8221; <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cannot truthfully or reliably be called &#8220;reversible&#8221;<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> due to a dearth of research.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Transgender and gender-diverse adolescents and young adults (TGD-AYA) increasingly present to health care providers seeking medical affirming interventions (MAIs) to induce physiologic changes aligned with their gender identity,&#8221; begins the 2019 commentary. &#8220;MAIs include gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists <\/span><b>to temporarily suppress puberty<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> [&#8220;puberty blockers&#8221;]&#8230; [etc]. <\/span><b>There is considerable concern that these MAIs impact gonadal structures and function, thereby decreasing future fertility potential<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><b>Little research has explored reversibility<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or thresholds (amount and\/or duration) <\/span><b>of MAIs in impacting TGD-AYA fertility<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Therefore, multiple professional organizations recommend fertility counseling before MAI initiation&#8221; (emphases added).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of that fertility counseling appears to include encouraging biological males to preserve their semen before undergoing &#8220;MAIs.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Again, note that the AAP&#8217;s policy statement (with Rafferty as lead author) was first published in 2018, <\/span><b><i>one year before <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rafferty&#8217;s commentary. And yet, <\/span><b><i>it appears that Rafferty was aware<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that &#8220;little research ha[d] explored reversibility&#8221; of the impact of &#8220;puberty blockers&#8221; on &#8220;future fertility potential&#8221; at that time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, AAP&#8217;s 2018 policy statement claiming that the effects of &#8220;puberty blockers&#8221; are &#8220;reversible&#8221; could not have stated this with certainty, with Rafferty admitting a year later that there was &#8220;considerable concern&#8221; and &#8220;little research&#8221; about the drugs&#8217; potential impacts on fertility.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Co-authors promoted children&#8217;s &#8216;right&#8217; to abortion &#8211; without parental involvement<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two of the co-authors of the AAP transgender policy statement \u2014 <\/span><b>Cora Breuner, MD<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>Elizabeth M. Alderman, MD \u2014 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">also <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/publications.aap.org\/pediatrics\/article\/139\/2\/e20163861\/59961\/The-Adolescent-s-Right-to-Confidential-Care-When\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">co-authored an August 2022 policy statement for AAP<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (issued just two months after <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Roe v. Wade <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court) endorsing the idea that minors have a &#8220;right&#8221; to obtain abortions <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">without <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">parental knowledge or permission, stating that involving parents &#8220;pose[s] risks to adolescents&#8217; health&#8221; and may &#8220;increas[e] volatility within a family,&#8221; causing &#8220;harms.&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Part of the policy statement reads, &#8220;The legal climate surrounding abortion law is rapidly becoming more restrictive and threatens to adversely impact adolescents. Mandatory parental involvement, the judicial bypass procedure, and general restrictive abortion policies pose risks to adolescents\u2019 health by causing delays in accessing medical care, increasing volatility within a family, and limiting their pregnancy options. These harms underscore the importance of adolescents\u2019 access to confidential abortion care.&#8221; <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In other words, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">parents are the enemy<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the children are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">safer with abortionists<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This philosophy is very common among abortion advocates, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/fight-over-indiana-parental-consent-law-proves-planned-parenthood-is-not-a-friend-to-parents\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">including industry leader Planned Parenthood<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Breuner is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattlechildrens.org\/directory\/cora-collette-breuner\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reportedly<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a physician at Seattle Children&#8217;s Hospital in the division of Adolescent Medicine; Alderman is Professor of Pediatrics and Obstetrics &amp; Gynecology and Women\u2019s Health at our Albert Einstein College of Medicine, according to her <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cham.org\/patients-families\/find-a-doctor\/elizabeth-m-alderman-md-1558447821\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bio<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and specializes in adolescent gynecology and reproductive health for adolescents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Co-author worked for Planned Parenthood Federation of America<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Krishna Upadhya, MD<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, another co-author of the AAP&#8217;s transgender policy statement and a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/publications.aap.org\/aapnews\/news\/1290\/2020-AAP-Award-Winners?autologincheck=redirected\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2020 AAP award winner<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, was at the time of her award &#8220;the senior medical adviser at Planned Parenthood Federation of America,&#8221; and was &#8220;a member of the Committee on Adolescence&#8221; with the AAP until 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_319435\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-319435\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-319435 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/upadhyay-pp-aap.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/upadhyay-pp-aap.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/upadhyay-pp-aap-300x87.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/upadhyay-pp-aap-700x202.jpg 700w, https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/upadhyay-pp-aap-768x222.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/upadhyay-pp-aap-500x145.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-319435\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Krishna Upadhya (Screenshot: 2020 AAP Award Winners)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to LinkedIn, Upadhya worked for Planned Parenthood Federation of America for over four years; she was the Vice President of Quality Care and Health Equity at PPFA from October 2020 until July of 2023, and now reportedly works as the Chief Medical Officer in the Delaware Division of Medicaid and Medical Services.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Several co-authors also wrote AAP&#8217;s policy statement on counseling pregnant adolescents<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The aforementioned Drs. Breuner, Alderman, and Upadhya \u2014 along with <\/span><b>Laura K. Grubb, MD<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>Makia E. Powers, MD, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">also co-authors of AAP&#8217;s transgender policy \u2014 additionally wrote AAP&#8217;s &#8220;Options Counseling for the Pregnant Adolescent Patient&#8221; just a year prior in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the policy statement, they claim that &#8220;medical and surgical abortions are safe when performed by licensed and experienced physicians&#8221; \u2014 and yet, research has shown that &#8220;medical&#8221; (abortion pill) abortions carry a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/study-abortion-pill-four-times-dangerous-surgical\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">four times greater risk<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for women than a first-trimester surgical abortion. Additionally, &#8220;licensed and experienced physicians&#8221; who commit abortions have been declining for quite some time, with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/va-gov-signs-bill-removing-safe-standards-abortion\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">multiple<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> states <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/planned-parenthood-fights-non-physicians-commit-surgical-abortions\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">attempting to increase<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> abortion access by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/hawaii-governor-allowing-non-physicians-commit-abortions\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">allowing<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/california-non-doctors-abortions-remove-oversight\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">non-physicians<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to commit even <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/new-jersey-allow-non-physicians-commit-abortions\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">first-trimester suction-aspiration<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and D&amp;C abortions. Women have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/feigned-fury-abortion-pill-die-pro-life-states\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">died<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/womens-deaths-demonstrate-legal-doesnt-mean-safe\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">legal first-trimester abortions by pill as well as surgically<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 even with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">physician<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> involvement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The authors also claim &#8220;the mortality associated with childbirth is many times higher than that associated with legal abortion&#8221; (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/bad-science-question-study-abortion-safer-childbirth\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">debunked here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), and claim that &#8220;Concerns about&#8230; infertility, increased cancer risks, or mental health issues, are not supported by current evidence.&#8221; And yet, several <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/studies-documents-abortion-infertility\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">studies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have shown the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/research-really-shows-abortions-physical-risks\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">opposite<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-significantly-increases-mental-health-disorders\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">each<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of these.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Surprisingly, the physicians writing the 2017 policy admit that &#8220;feelings of grief and loss can follow an abortion, and the pediatrician should be prepared to offer resources for emotional support after the procedure.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the AAP&#8217;s most recent <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/watermark.silverchair.com\/peds_2022058781.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAAzYwggMyBgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggMjMIIDHwIBADCCAxgGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMVL_jTTHwAMjP_wtJAgEQgIIC6T4CEmHeiAdJwXUhByFgQKjoZmqTS7fYHOeV1gatA3zElHol-7JgmkMPO7l-xgrDLty4qUE1wwZGQ0k7On8QEG5nvD7PiYWXVJZv2CmrTtvy3cVN2NqASET_kxukgHfq9iPNSG0-yaSIqUo5YAUj49BM2kDwSljfVQbzp2GsCq3UF3uVOlaa4T8TvztWfik7rLEndH9M3t6h0ODn7NX-Vi35JzRkTy56bFMAxTuOP-VJKOUtGhKOBKxtiwFQzuT6JxL-Dq-iHiquKphcZU3gJ3AloUOg9Qe7aoR9GLutk3ZazJnUHddQGIQWdb6AsumAPxSUelenInrldSZQIrxJKqmhZrqlWPLglo7h6SzN7ra9uSmJNT14qMaScFbaLtXft3YWrN1b2RNaElg9Rq6dClEK4oES2KjHV4bZ1ZHMo5yQTI7gsrWlmg3V1ImK2lrBnYGpNQYKj-XW69ebOT577VPBgrZPlzZadIuLsNzULNUEIk36ZHUseFXMLgcbgtvm7ic1ymkHvjtkaOqQ8DnL-ch1eXs2zMUWmHcM7qelC6UXff8iOQ-d_8hf_0kuSTJtZ8Hrt_IY0rWcU5MavbsLeLf3-7jy-ZLhg9_vQjXergwV-u2C29fFe9rfLOlaeLsYAjZjVPF3ZluiTjUeIrXNO36J4bfRbL-pRaOQxO8yF3EizygRfqRvEo_PtRfPJgq6gaxwVmuj5h-KDt9zqgfI2kmRP3FneFjoSwBKRo_-mJz7JbaQuZjhDoV3Ju2_2G83W14ZosH7xALHD-JUwdKRnHqnJY7gc0z0ko0qzhybr9SoqH-INDh3SH4PAtqQm077tsG8TRq8A0SbIwjkynyu3Q99SlIjK-2nv4IFq8ORI-w_pNM_2oMwDl2_3kieL4B-Pa4meiR7L2JTyU9svbNF4G61WJvJ02mzf_j3K06DfssJL7pyoEN1rHzq29h_Xv2f4VDjUN3NFlxRzWZW-uhIYRz4ugGUCpkfmCU\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">September 2022 policy statement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on pregnancy options counseling for adolescents (with co-authors including the aforementioned Drs. Alderman and Grubb) has added some disturbing new elements, in addition to maintaining the tenuous claims about abortion safety, childbirth, and abortion risks from the 2017 policy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new policy stunningly claims that &#8220;abortion provision is <\/span><b>within the scope of practice of pediatrics<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and training is available for pediatricians to provide abortion care&#8221; (emphasis added).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It also claims that &#8220;denying women abortion services provokes anxiety and stress,&#8221; and that &#8220;not being able to obtain a wanted or needed abortion leads to economic insecurity for women and their families and negatively impacts existing children\u2019s economic and emotional well-being.&#8221; These claims are sourced to studies co-authored by Diana Greene Foster, author of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/turnaway-study-takedown-video-debunks-denied-abortion\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">completely unreliable &#8220;Turnaway Study,&#8221;<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which the abortion industry and its media allies continue to tout as if it isn&#8217;t full of holes. (Good propagandists know that repeating a lie often is the key to making people believe it.)<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Things to consider<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any actions taken upon a minor&#8217;s body that may negatively impact his or her future fertility or potentially cause sterility are something to which that child <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cannot truly give informed consent<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. And yet, here we see that the pro-abortion and transgender ideologies are extremely similar; their proponents insist that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">children<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can fully consent to life-altering procedures that may have a devastating impact on their future ability to produce biological children.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the majority of states, permanent sterilization is restricted to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">legal adults<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">; 33 states <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/worldpopulationreview.com\/state-rankings\/tubal-ligation-laws-by-state\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">require<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that a woman must be 21 years old to legally receive a tubal ligation, while most states require a man to be 18 to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/health.clevelandclinic.org\/considering-a-vasectomy-how-to-know-if-the-time-is-right\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">legally consent<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to a vasectomy (which <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">may<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> be reversible) unless done in a &#8220;medical facility that receives federal funding&#8221; like a hospital system. In that case, men must be 21.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Surely, administering &#8220;puberty blocking&#8221; drugs into the body of an immature, still-developing adolescent is not something to be taken lightly \u2014 especially not when there is a total absence of long-term studies to prove their safety.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/resist-pressure-to-dispense-the-abortion-pill\/\"><b><i>Urge Walmart, Costco, Kroger, and other major chains to resist pressure to dispense the abortion pill<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a policy statement in 2018 written by 19 co-authors, titled, &#8220;Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents.&#8221; This policy was reaffirmed in 2023 and is mentioned in a letter of concern, signed by the attorneys general of 20 states, regarding &#8220;AAP\u2019s Compliance with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":292,"featured_media":319583,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>20 state AGs send letter demanding retraction from American Academy of Pediatrics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Some authors of the reaffirmed 2023 AAP transgender policy either have ties to Planned Parenthood or endorse its pro-abortion ideas.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/20-ags-demand-retraction-american-academy-pediatrics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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