America First Legal (AFL) filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday, seeking access to records from the Biden administration regarding guidance on the use of adolescent blockers for children. This comes after legal groups associated with Trump previously uncovered communications through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
Building on those findings, the AFL has made a new FOIA request for documents about the FDA’s internal guidance concerning the non-condemnation of these drugs. But the FDA, although it allows federal information requests, hasn’t really cooperated. And, bear in mind, the clock is ticking on creating these documents.
The AFL’s attorney, Scorinos, emphasized, “The Biden administration has pushed gender-denial treatments for American children. Now is the time to expose what officials really know.”
Like the current request, the AFL had to resort to lawsuits previously to get access to earlier documents. Ultimately, one of the disclosed documents suggested that the FDA’s department of general endocrinology supports the use of adolescent blockers, despite recognizing potential harmful effects including depression, suicidal thoughts, and heightened seizure risks.
An FDA official, in a revealed email, stated there’s no doubt these drugs should be approved for gender transition, while also noting a conducted study highlighted an increased risk of depression and suicide along with a raised risk of seizures. Other studies have corroborated these findings.
Researchers from the University of Texas studied 107,583 patients 18 and older, concluding that addressing “gender-sensitive mental health support” and the psychological risks post-surgery is crucial, especially for those who have had such procedures.
On a related point, a progressive author from the Atlantic reflected on treatment for transgender youth, mentioning feeling trapped in a “false information bubble.” Men who had surgery showed a depression rate of 25%, compared to just below 12% for men who did not undergo surgery. Anxiety rates were also markedly different, 12.8% for the surgical group versus 2.6% for the non-surgical group.
Women experienced similar discrepancies; those who had surgery faced a depression rate of 22.9%, while the non-operative group stood at 14.6%. The anxiety rates were also notable, with surgery patients reporting 10.5% compared to 7.1% for those who hadn’t undergone the procedure.
Fox News Digital reached out to the FDA for comment, but a response was not immediately available.
