The Federal Trade Commission, along with four states including Texas, sued the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) on Wednesday. The suit alleges WPATH made deceptive claims about pediatric gender treatments for minors and that its members profited from these claims.

Background

WPATH has established medical standards for pediatric gender treatments for over 50 years, based on scientific standards, expert consensus, and patient-centered values. However, the FTC claims that these standards are deceptive and prioritize profit over children’s health and safety.

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson stated, “Parents have a right to make informed decisions about their children’s health. The FTC will not allow parents and children to be deceived by medical organizations and providers who are prioritizing profit over children’s health and safety.”

The suit comes after an investigation by the agency into WPATH. The group had previously sued to block the probe, alleging the agency was violating its First Amendment rights. A federal judge in May ruled in favor of WPATH, temporarily blocking the investigation.

WPATH has stated that its guidelines call for care tailored to individual patients, rather than a “one size fits all” approach. The organization also noted that a federal court has already ruled against the FTC over this effort, blocking the investigation.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.