The Federal Trade Commission filed suit against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health on Wednesday, joining four states in challenging the organization's guidance on gender-affirming treatment for minors.
The lawsuit centers on allegations that WPath made misleading claims about such care and that the organization's members gained financially from those assertions. Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas filed alongside the FTC in the action.
FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson framed the case around parental rights and consumer protection. "Parents have a right to make informed decisions about their children's health," Ferguson posted on X. "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."
WPath countered that its clinical standards are designed for individualized treatment rather than blanket protocols. The organization has shaped medical consensus on gender-affirming care for more than five decades, basing its work on scientific evidence and expert input, according to its website.
The case marks an escalation in a broader regulatory push. In May, a federal judge temporarily halted an earlier FTC investigation into WPath after the organization claimed the agency was infringing its First Amendment rights. The FTC simultaneously launched separate investigations into the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Endocrine Society for their own guidance documents, and both organizations also sued to block those inquiries.
WPath signaled it would mount an aggressive legal defense. "WPATH is in a strong position to prove that the FTC is acting out of pure retaliation as part of the federal government's relentless and targeted campaign to undermine gender-affirming care," the organization stated, pointing to the earlier court ruling that halted the investigation. The group pledged to oppose what it called an attack on medical professional independence and evidence-based treatment.
Author James Rodriguez: "The FTC is essentially trying a second bite at an apple a judge already handed back to WPath, which raises real questions about what this lawsuit is actually trying to accomplish beyond political scoring."
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