Press Release from the Observatoire la Petite Sirène (OPS) – July 18, 2025
- La Petite Sirène
- Jul 22
- 2 min read
The HAS Withdraws Recommendations for Minors Identifying as Trans: A Wise Decision
OPS welcomes the decision by the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) to withdraw its proposed recommendations regarding minors aged 16 to 18 who identify as trans, as initially outlined in its draft version[^1].
In the statement published today on its website, the HAS acknowledges:
“In the absence of sufficiently robust data and consensus, the HAS has chosen to address the issue of those under 18 separately. After defining the scope of the topic, it will begin drafting recommendations concerning minors in early 2026.”[^2]
This withdrawal confirms what many professionals have been saying for years: the medical practices currently offered to minors questioning their gender rest on scientifically weak—or even nonexistent—foundations. Systematic reviews of the literature confirm that available data are insufficient and inconsistent, both in terms of short- and long-term benefits and risks.
The HAS now acknowledges that the quality of available evidence is the subject of debate and controversy. This is a particularly significant admission given the fact that children are concerned. This decision requires us to listen to healthcare professionals who have called for caution.
OPS further calls for a reconsideration of the routine use of the diagnosis of “gender dysphoria” or “gender incongruence”[^3] in minors. This diagnosis—a broad spectrum applied to adolescents undergoing pubertal changes—does not make it possible to predict whether they will persist in their desire to alter their bodies.
We ask that our clinical proposal, called ASP (Pubertal Sexuation Anxiety)[^4], be taken into account. It offers an alternative way to understand the physical and psychological suffering in adolescence (and even up to age 25), which is often associated with requests for transition.
We demand that a scientific debate finally be opened within child psychiatry on these issues, and that all clinical approaches be represented.
OPS acknowledges that HAS will initiate work concerning minors in 2026, and stands ready to contribute, alongside other childhood professionals concerned with medical ethics.
When it comes to children, caution must prevail.
Primum non nocere – First, do no harm.
[1] Sur le projet de recommandation : https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/la-haute-autorite-de-sante-veut-un-acces-gratuit-a-la-transition-de-genre-pour-tous-a-partir-de-16-ans-20241212
[2] https://www.has-sante.fr/jcms/p_3636602/fr/transition-de-genre-la-has-publie-les-premieres-recommandations-sur-la-prise-en-charge-medicale-de-l-adulte
[3] Dans la CIM-11 (Classification internationale des maladies)
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