Doctors question aspects of Missouri transgender care limits

By LINDSEY TANNER
AP Medical Writer

Missouri’s attorney general says he will issue an emergency regulation that at least temporarily puts strict limits on transgender medical treatment for youth. The planned rule comes as legislators in that state and many others seek bans or other restrictions on the treatment. Doctors and advocates for the transgender community contend the rule contains misleading or incorrect information straight from the playbook of anti-trans activists. The rule targets treatment for gender-questioning children, claiming it is experimental and risky. Critics say puberty blockers and hormones have been used safely for decades. Though not specifically approved for transgender care, they’re used “off label,” an accepted practice across medicine.