Do No Harm study disputes link between transgender care restrictions and teen suicide

The medical watchdog group Do No Harm has released a study challenging the assertion that laws restricting gender-affirming care for minors lead to increased suicide rates among youth with gender dysphoria.

Ian Kingsbury, senior director of Do No Harm’s Center for Accountability in Medicine, characterized previous research supporting such claims as “shoddy and dishonest.” The group argues that states implementing restrictions on puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries for minors do not experience spikes in suicide rates.

In response, The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ+ activist group, defended its own 2024 findings. The organization maintains that its research is valid and continues to assert that “anti-transgender” laws increase suicide risks among young people. The debate centers on whether medical interventions are necessary for mental health or if the potential harms of such procedures outweigh their benefits.