Alabama One of 20 States to Urge AMA to Halt Youth Hormones

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is calling on the American Medical Association to end its support for hormonal treatments for minors who identify as transgender, warning the group it could face legal scrutiny if it fails to do so.

In a letter signed by 20 State Attorneys General, Marshall commended the American Medical Association (AMA) for its recent stance opposing surgical sex-change procedures for children. But, he urged the organization to take what he described as the next logical step: withdraw its endorsement of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors.

The letter follows the AMA’s acknowledgment that current research does not support the use of surgery to treat gender confusion in children. Marshall and the coalition argue that the same lack of strong evidence applies to hormonal interventions.

“The American Medical Association has finally admitted what many have warned for years: its recommendations for surgeries on children were not grounded in solid evidence, despite telling doctors and families otherwise,” Marshall said. “Yet the same weak science underpins puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. You cannot dismiss one intervention as unsupported while continuing to push the rest. When children's lives and futures are at stake, anything less than full scientific honesty is reckless. The AMA must follow the science completely, not selectively."

Marshall’s office cited Alabama’s consumer protection laws in the letter. Under State law, organizations may not claim that goods or services have “benefits” or “qualities” they do not have. The law also bars representations that services meet a certain “standard, quality, or grade” if they do not. It further prohibits any “false, misleading, or deceptive act or practice in the conduct of trade or commerce.”

The coalition warned that if the AMA continues to promote hormonal treatments for minors without what they view as sufficient evidence, it could prompt an investigation into possible consumer protection violations.

The letter requests detailed explanations from the AMA regarding its continued support for hormonal sex-change procedures in minors, including the scientific basis for its recommendations.

Marshall was joined in signing the letter by Attorneys General from Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.

The full letter may be read HERE.