The AAMC joined the American Academy of Pediatrics and more than 20 other health organizations in an amicus brief filed Sept. 26 focused on ensuring that all adolescents, including those with gender dysphoria, receive the optimal medical and mental health care they need.
Filed in the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the brief urged the court to affirm the district court’s preliminary injunction in KC v. Individual Members of the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana. The case involves Senate Enrolled Act 480, which prohibits health care providers from providing patients under 18 with medically necessary treatment for gender dysphoria.
The brief provides background on gender identity and gender dysphoria. It details the professionally accepted medical guidelines for treating adolescents with gender dysphoria, the scientifically rigorous process by which the guidelines were developed, and the evidence that gender-affirming care is effective and saves lives. The brief does not discuss surgeries that are typically available to transgender adults, and the preliminary injunction does not apply to surgeries.