The Trump administration's proposals regarding sex-rejecting medical interventions for minors are about "science" and "protecting our kids," not about "scoring political points," according to Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and CMS Deputy Administrator Stephanie Carlton laid out that argument in a Washington Post opinion column Thursday as the administration unveiled two proposed rules aimed at cutting off federal support for pediatric gender-transition procedures.
In the column, Oz and Carlton said "America's children aren't lab mice," arguing that extraordinary interventions — including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and irreversible surgeries such as double mastectomies — demand extraordinary evidence, especially for minors.
In this case, they wrote, the evidence base is not there.
The proposals would bar the use of Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program funds to subsidize sex-rejecting medical interventions for minors and prohibit hospitals that participate in Medicare and Medicaid from performing them on minors, the authors said.
CMS estimates the change would save taxpayers more than $250 million over the next decade.
Oz and Carlton pointed to independent reviews, including from the Department of Health and Human Services and health authorities in Sweden, Finland, and Britain, that they said found the evidence for lasting benefits "remarkably weak," "low quality," or "insufficient" to determine long-term outcomes.
They also warned of significant risks: Puberty blockers can reduce bone density and disrupt sexual maturation; cross-sex hormones can cause irreversible changes including infertility and cardiovascular issues; and surgery permanently removes healthy organs and can lead to lifelong complications.
Instead, the CMS leaders argued the health system should follow the standard approach used for other kinds of pediatric mental distress: Start with the least invasive steps, including psychotherapy, family counseling, and evaluation and treatment for co-occurring conditions such as anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorder, or ADHD.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called the interventions "malpractice" at a Thursday news conference, and the proposals were described as the most significant moves so far to restrict puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgical interventions for minors.
The administration's plan is expected to face stiff pushback from major U.S. medical organizations and advocates, and the rules are not final — they must go through a formal rulemaking process that includes public comment and likely litigation.
Still, the administration is betting that a "follow the evidence" message will resonate with parents uneasy about life-altering treatments for kids.
Oz and Carlton highlighted rising rates of adolescent gender dysphoria diagnoses, increased social media exposure, and a broader decline in youth mental health — trends they say should prompt caution, not experimentation.
The debate is also about whether federal health programs should bankroll procedures that permanently alter a child's body when the long-term data is contested, and less invasive options exist.
The administration's position is clear: Washington should fund care that is proven, prudent, and protective — not policies that, in Oz's words, turn children into "test subjects" for irreversible decisions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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