The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates unanimously passed a resolution sponsored by the Endocrine Society to protect access to evidence-based gender-affirming care for transgender and gender-diverse individuals.
The Endocrine Society partnered with the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE), the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), and the Medical Student Section of the AMA House of Delegates to develop and advocate for this resolution.
The House of Delegates, which is the policymaking body of the AMA, met in June to establish and update policy positions on topics important to healthcare providers and patients. The Endocrine Society has two voting members in the House of Delegates.
This year, Mandy Bell, MD, and Daniel Spratt, MD, represented the Society at the meeting and proposed a resolution that would strengthen the AMA’s policy on protecting access medical care for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals. The Society’s resolution commits the AMA to working with state and specialty societies and other interested stakeholders to:
- Advocate for federal, state, and local laws and policies to protect access to evidence-based care for gender dysphoria and gender incongruence;
- Oppose laws and policies that criminalize those who provide or receive gender-affirming care, including parents or guardians who support minors seeking care;
- Support protections against violence and criminal, civil, and professional liability for physicians and institutions who provide evidence-based gender-affirming care, patients who seek or receive this care, and parents or guardians who support minors seeking and/or receiving this care; and
- Communicate with stakeholders and regulatory bodies about the importance of gender-affirming care for patients with gender dysphoria and gender incongruence.
Several medical associations co-sponsored the Society’s resolution, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, the American Urological Association, and GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality.
“As political attacks on gender-affirming care escalate, the Society believes it is the responsibility of the medical community to speak out in support of evidence-based care.”
Before a resolution is considered in front of the entire House of Delegates, a reference committee hears testimony in support of or against the resolution. The reference committee then makes a recommendation for how the House should act. During the reference committee meeting, the line of people testifying in support of the Society’s resolution went out the door. The resolution’s cosponsors, other state and specialty societies, and several individuals expressed their support for our resolution. The reference committee recommended that the resolution be adopted with minor amendments, and it was passed via the consent calendar.
The Endocrine Society proposed this resolution in response to the growing number of state legislatures that have introduced or passed bills that ban gender-affirming care and criminalize physicians who provide it. These policies contradict the evidence-based standards of care and clinical practice guidelines that inform the treatment of TGD individuals. As political attacks on gender-affirming care escalate, the Society believes it is the responsibility of the medical community to speak out in support of evidence-based care.
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