The American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds), on Thursday, asked medical practitioners in the U.S. to take a leaf from their European colleagues to stop performing gender transition procedures described as “harmful” on minors “distressed with their biological sex.”

The group recommended “comprehensive evaluations and therapies” as replacement for instant medical procedures in minors suffering gender dysphoria — an illness where persons claim to be at discomfort because they feel differently from their birth genders.

According to Dr Jill Simons, executive director of ACPeds, the demand to stop gender transition procedures was sparked by serious worries about the impact that the medical protocols would have on minors, as evidenced by the results of years of research involving hundreds of medical professionals.

“We have serious concerns about the physical and mental health effects of the current protocols promoted for the care of children and adolescents in the United States who express discomfort over their biological sex,” Ms Simons said.

Dr Andre Van Mol of the ACPeds said that “minors cannot give truly informed consent” on gender transition because they have “developing and immature brains” and “their minds change often.”

The doctor explained that minors lack the capacity to grasp the long-term consequences of their actions, stressing that there were more honest ways to deal with gender confusion rather than the “chemical sterilisation and surgical mutilation of healthy young bodies.”

He also stressed that research showed that gender transition so far has had no impact whatsoever on reducing suicides and mental illnesses.

“Transition affirmation is not proven to be safe or effective long term. It does not reduce suicides. It does not repair mental health issues or trauma,” Mr Van Mol said.

The ACPeds executive director called on other medical associations in the U.S. “to follow the science and their European professional colleagues and immediately stop the promotion of social affirmation, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries for children and adolescents who experience distress over their biological sex.”

Already, the UK, Finland, and Sweden have halted gender-affirming procedures on minors, and the ACPeds urged their colleagues in the U.S. to do the same.