The Federal Trade Commission on Monday launched a public inquiry into the impact of "false or unsupported claims" of gender transition procedures with the opening of a 60-day window inviting input from consumers.
In a release, the FTC said it's seeking "to better understand how consumers may have been exposed to false or unsupported claims about 'gender-affirming care' (GAC), especially as it relates to minors, and to gauge the harms consumers may be experiencing."
"Proponents of GAC, including healthcare and medical institutions, have long touted the benefits of this type of care, including for minors," the FTC wrote in its public request, adding that "over time," reports have surfaced that the institutions "promoting these practices have revealed potential deceptive or unfair practices involved in this type of medical care."
The FTC's request for comment comes weeks after the commission hosted a workshop titled "The Dangers of 'Gender-Affirming Care' for Minors" regarding deceptive trade practices.
"The FTC heard testimony from doctors, medical ethicists, whistleblowers, detransitioners, and parents of detransitioners. That testimony indicated that practitioners of 'gender-affirming care' may be actively deceiving consumers," the agency said in its release.
The Department of Justice announced that it subpoenaed more than 20 doctors and clinics that "mutilated children" with transgender medical procedures across the country.
The brief announcement, which came the same day as the FTC's workshop, did not specify the doctors or medical centers that were subpoenaed, saying only the investigations included health care fraud and false statements.
Roughly half the nation has banned gender transition procedures for minors since 2021, The Hill reported, and the Supreme Court upheld Tennessee's ban after a challenge from a group of transgender kids and their families claiming the ban violated the Constitution's 14th Amendment promise of equal protection.
"According to the Court, there are now 'fierce scientific and policy debates about the safety, efficacy, and propriety of medical treatments in [the] evolving field' of transgender medicine, the FTC wrote.
The FTC is asking for all public comments and input by Sept. 26.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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