Between 2016 and 2020, over 3,200 elective mastectomies were performed on girls as young as 12 as part of gender-transition treatment. That number has only grown since. And now, the medical community itself is raising alarms about whether these procedures should have ever been performed on children in the first place.
On February 3, 2026, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) became the first major American medical association to formally oppose gender-related surgery for patients under 19 — citing “limitations in study quality, consistency and follow-up” and “emerging evidence of treatment complications and potential harms.” The very next day, the American Medical Association acknowledged that the evidence supporting gender-affirming surgical intervention in minors is “insufficient” and agreed that such procedures “should be generally deferred to adulthood.”
This isn’t a political statement. This is a patient safety issue.
These positions echo warnings that have been building across the globe. In 2024, Britain’s landmark Cass Review found that the evidence supporting puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for children was “remarkably weak.” The federal Department of Health and Human Services reached similar conclusions.
The Fox Varian Case: A Warning Shot
In January 2026, a jury in New York awarded $2 million to a young woman known as Fox Varian — a detransitioner who underwent a double mastectomy at just 16 years old. Her psychologist had allegedly warned her mother that Fox was in danger of committing suicide without the surgery. Fox was struggling with depression, anxiety, and autism. She was a child in crisis who needed help — and instead, she was fast-tracked into an irreversible procedure.
By 2022, Fox had detransitioned. She sued both her psychologist and her surgeon for medical malpractice. It was the first detransition lawsuit to go before an American jury. She told the court: “I was 16 and I was really, really mentally ill, obviously.”
The jury agreed. They awarded $1.6 million for past and future pain and $400,000 for future medical costs.
Fox Varian’s case is not an isolated incident. More than two dozen detransitioners have now filed similar lawsuits across the country. Legal experts believe the total damages could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
What Families Need to Know
If your child — or if you as a young adult — underwent gender-transition surgery or was prescribed puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones as a minor, and you now believe:
- The risks were not adequately explained.
- Mental health conditions were not properly evaluated before treatment.
- Your child was not mature enough to consent to irreversible procedures.
- The treating physicians failed to follow appropriate standards of care.
You may have a medical malpractice claim.
At The Law Offices of Travis R. Walker, P.A., we have spent over a decade fighting for people who have been failed by the institutions that were supposed to protect them. From human trafficking survivors to victims of corporate negligence, our firm exists to hold powerful interests accountable when they put vulnerable people at risk.
We believe every family impacted by these procedures deserves to have their case heard.
Contact Us for a Free, Confidential Consultation.
If you or your child has been affected, we want to hear your story. Consultations are completely free and confidential.
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