Tuberville applauds new restrictions on transgender treatments and surgeries on minors

December 18, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a major policy announcement Thursday morning, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled a federal medical declaration that would sharply restrict transgender‑related medical interventions for minors across the United States. U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) applauded the announcement.

Standing alongside FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, and other senior U.S. Public Health Service officials, Kennedy said the move represents a decisive shift away from what he described as "ideological" approaches to pediatric gender medicine.

The declaration, titled "Safety, Effectiveness, and Professional Standards of Care for Sex‑Rejecting Procedures on Children and Adolescents," outlines proposed regulatory changes governing treatments for minors who experience distress related to their biological sex. The policy stems from an HHS evidence review released in May 2025 and fulfills directives from a January 28 executive order signed by President Trump.

"Doctors assume a solemn obligation to protect children," Secretary Kennedy said. He argued that medical interventions commonly referred to as gender‑affirming care-including puberty blockers, cross‑sex hormones, and certain surgeries-constitute "chemical and surgical mutilation" and pose significant risks. Under the proposal, federal funding for such procedures would be discontinued.

Senator Tuberville said on social media, "Thank you, @SecKennedy, for PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN. "Gender affirming care" for minors is CHILD ABUSE."

Tuberville is a 2026 candidate for Governor of Alabama.

Professional Groups Declined Participation

HHS officials said the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association, and the Endocrine Society were invited to contribute to the federal review but declined to participate.

According to the declaration, the procedures in question may expose minors to "irreversible damage," including infertility, impaired sexual function, reduced bone density, altered brain development, and other long‑term physiological effects. The HHS review also cited potential risks such as impaired cognitive function, increased vulnerability to hormone‑sensitive cancers, cardiovascular complications, and heightened susceptibility to infections.

Kennedy said the findings require a recalibration of federal health standards. "Medical professionals or entities providing sex‑rejecting procedures to children are out of compliance with these standards of health care," he said. "This declaration is a clear directive to providers to follow the science."

He also framed the issue in moral terms, stating that "there is divine worth in every person," and that protecting children is a fundamental obligation of the agency.

CMS, FDA, and Public Health Actions

CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said the proposed rules would bar most U.S. hospitals participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs from performing these procedures on minors. "Children deserve our protection, not experimental interventions that carry life‑altering risks with no reliable evidence of benefit," Oz said.

He credited President Trump's executive order for initiating the policy shift.

Additional actions announced Thursday include:

• Formal Medical Declaration: HHS formally states that sex‑rejecting procedures for minors are not safe, effective, or aligned with accepted standards of care.

• Medicare & Medicaid Enforcement: Hospitals performing such procedures may lose eligibility to participate in federal programs.

• Federal Funding Prohibition: Medicaid and CHIP funds would no longer cover puberty blockers, cross‑sex hormones, or surgeries for minors.

• FDA Enforcement: Manufacturers marketing breast binders to minors could face warning letters, product seizures, or injunctions.

• Reversal of Disability Classification: HHS plans to rescind rules that classified gender dysphoria as a disability under federal law.

• Public Health Warning: The U.S. Public Health Service issued a statement asserting that current evidence does not support claims of safety or benefit for these interventions in children.

The review also incorporated data from health authorities in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom, several of which have recently revised their own guidelines for pediatric gender medicine.

HHS officials emphasized that the proposed restrictions apply only to minors. Adults seeking transgender‑related medical procedures would not be affected.