{"id":1404311,"date":"2026-02-04T17:55:48","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T22:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/?p=1404311&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=1404311"},"modified":"2026-02-04T18:20:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T23:20:44","slug":"transgender-health-plastic-surgeons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/04\/transgender-health-plastic-surgeons\/","title":{"rendered":"Plastic surgeons group calls for delaying gender-affirming surgery until age 19"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By DEVI SHASTRI<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The nation\u2019s largest professional organization for plastic surgeons recommended that gender-affirming surgeries be delayed until patients turn 19, changing the group\u2019s stance on the politically charged issue and diverging from several other major medical organizations\u2019 guidance.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"related left\"><h2 class=\"widget-title\" data-curated-ids=\"\" data-relation-type=\"automatic-primary-section\">Related Articles<\/h2><ul><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/08\/housing-costs-are-crippling-many-americans-heres-how-the-two-parties-propose-to-fix-that\/\" title=\"Housing costs are crippling many Americans. Here\u2019s how the two parties propose to fix that\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tHousing costs are crippling many Americans. Here\u2019s how the two parties propose to fix that\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/07\/vaccine-court-overhaul\/\" title=\"Her son\u2019s injury never got its day in vaccine court. Their lawyer is now advising RFK Jr. on its overhaul\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tHer son\u2019s injury never got its day in vaccine court. Their lawyer is now advising RFK Jr. on its overhaul\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/06\/border-family-separation\/\" title=\"Judge orders Trump administration to bring back 3 families deported to Honduras, other countries\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tJudge orders Trump administration to bring back 3 families deported to Honduras, other countries\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/06\/epstein-house-unredacted-files\/\" title=\"Justice Department will allow lawmakers to see unredacted versions of released Epstein files\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tJustice Department will allow lawmakers to see unredacted versions of released Epstein files\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/06\/us-social-service-funds\/\" title=\"Feds can\u2019t withhold social service funds from 5 Democratic states amid fraud claims, judge rules\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tFeds can\u2019t withhold social service funds from 5 Democratic states amid fraud claims, judge rules\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><\/ul><\/aside>\n<p>The American Society of Plastic Surgeons said Tuesday that it found \u201cinsufficient evidence\u201d that the benefits of chest, genital and facial surgeries on minors experiencing gender dysphoria outweigh the risks. It leaned on two recent and heavily debated publications on the topic, the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/uk-transgender-health-care-children-e3e94aad2994da7296880915f9b2e6ed\">Cass Review<\/a> by a senior doctor in England and a <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-hhs-rfk-transgender-therapy-53c20e8ba65b2d9e4750d5c3314492cc\">2025 report<\/a> issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis position statement doesn\u2019t seek to deny or minimize the reality of any patient\u2019s distress, and it does not question the authenticity of any patient\u2019s experience,\u201d the position statement reads. \u201cInstead, ASPS affirms that truly humane, ethical, and just care, particularly for children and adolescents, must balance compassion with scientific rigor, developmental considerations and concern for long-term welfare.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The statement is not a clinical guideline, the document notes. The society also did not do an independent evidence assessment or take other steps that would be involved in setting new care guidelines.<\/p>\n<h4>Other medical groups stand by their guidance<\/h4>\n<p>The shift comes as President Donald Trump\u2019s administration pressures health care providers to limit or stop gender-affirming care for transgender people, particularly children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday marks another victory for biological truth in the Trump administration,\u201d Deputy Health and Human Services Secretary Jim O\u2019Neill said in a statement. \u201cThe American Society of Plastic Surgeons has set the scientific and medical standard for all provider groups to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other major medical associations stood their ground, noting current guidelines already call for caution around surgery for minors.<\/p>\n<p>Gender-affirming surgery <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/transgender-surgery-gender-affirming-care-minors-eea6964112e528e8509cf4ba00f3fa52\">is rare among U.S. children<\/a>, research shows. And <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/transgender-hormones-puberty-blockers-youth-562cba3c3ae43e88d5144f7adb4efd7c\">fewer than 1 in 1,000 U.S. adolescents<\/a> receive gender-affirming medications.<\/p>\n<p>The American Academy of Pediatrics \u201cdoes not include a blanket recommendation for surgery for minors\u201d with gender dysphoria, said its president, Dr. Andrew Racine. \u201cThe AAP continues to hold to the principle that patients, their families, and their physicians \u2014 not politicians \u2014 should be the ones to make decisions together about what care is best for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The World Professional Association for Transgender Health, which develops standards of care for transgender patients globally, reiterated its support for access to surgical care for minors under \u201ccautious guidelines and criteria.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The group\u2019s guidelines oppose a \u201cdefinitive age or \u2018one-size-fits-all\u2019 approach for every patient.\u201d Decisions should be case-by-case, based on the evaluations of multiple types of health experts and experts in adolescent development.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWPATH stands firm in its commitment to advancing evidence-informed clinical guidelines to help improve the lives and well-being of transgender people around the world,\u201d the group said in a statement.<\/p>\n<h4>Hospitals halt gender-affirming care for kids<\/h4>\n<p>Gender-affirming care for transgender youth under standards widely used in the U.S. entails developing a plan with medical experts and family members that includes supportive talk therapy and can \u2014 but does not always \u2014 involve puberty blockers or hormone treatment. Many U.S. adolescents with gender dysphoria may decide not to proceed with medications or surgeries.<\/p>\n<p>Still, the Trump administration moved in December to cut off <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-hhs-rfk-transgender-therapy-medicaid-64262c23cd1fb562a5d5e191d397014e\">gender-affirming care for minors<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/lawsuit-hhs-transgender-health-care-children-015b2e5df026c9d69da7eadbdf6647ae\">prompting a third of states to sue<\/a>. It was the latest in a <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/la-trans-youth-center-closing-34d27684692c95b4f7c3266c55a71d38\">series of clashes<\/a> between an administration that says transgender health care can be harmful to children and advocates who say it\u2019s medically necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Under pressure from the administration, hospitals across the country have suspended gender-affirming care for minors, most recently Children\u2019s Minnesota, which plans to pause prescribing puberty-suppressing medications and hormones for patients under age 18 citing federal \u201cthreats.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not the decision we wanted to make,\u201d the health system said in a statement. \u201cThis is the decision we had to make to protect our hospital and our providers. We stand firmly behind the fact that gender-affirming care is evidence-based, safe and lifesaving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The plastic surgeons group also acknowledged that \u201cvariability in regulatory and legal environments\u201d played a role in the decision to issue a statement, saying the lack of evidence on the benefits of gender-affirming care means \u201csurgical decision-making carries heightened ethical, clinical and legal risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Scot Glasberg, who helped develop the statement, said deliberations over the language started in 2024 and were not politically influenced, despite the issue being highly charged.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis was an iterative process that took time, with no outside pressure,\u201d said Glasberg, a past president of the surgeons group. \u201cWe understand there will be different opinions about it and we respect those opinions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute\u2019s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The plastic surgeons group says research on the benefits of the surgeries is lacking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":1404318,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7867,22,27],"tags":[7601],"feature":[],"location":[],"type-of-work":[7197],"coauthors":[799],"class_list":["post-1404311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-politics","category-news","category-politics","tag-network","type-of-work-news"],"post_status":"","edit_last":0,"edit_lock":0,"highlights":"","original_byline":"","original_canonical":"","original_category":"","original_email":"","original_id":0,"original_pubdate":"","original_source":"","primary_section":"7867","primary_tag":0,"print_workflow_body":"","print_workflow_exported_ts":"","print_workflow_exported_username":"","print_workflow_shapes":"","print_workflow_side":"","really_short_title":"","short_title":"","syndication_source":{"canonical":"https:\/\/www.twincities.com\/2026\/02\/04\/transgender-health-plastic-surgeons","id":"cG9zdDoyNDQ2NTg0","siteName":"Sharing Dash","syndicationSourceStack":[{"canonical":"https:\/\/www.twincities.com\/2026\/02\/04\/transgender-health-plastic-surgeons","id":"cG9zdDoyNDQ2NTg0","siteName":"Sharing Dash","sourceUrl":"https:\/\/sharingdash.medianewsgroup.com"}],"source_url":"https:\/\/sharingdash.medianewsgroup.com"},"market_neutral_title":"","social_title":"","dfm_hub_post_id":0,"paywall_level":"","featured_media_content":{"content_type":"image","content":{"id":1404318,"title":"AP26013620260264","filename":"AP26013620260264.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/04\/transgender-health-plastic-surgeons\/attachment\/1404318\/","alt":"","author":"14","description":"","caption":"Protesters gather outside the Supreme Court as it hears arguments over state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana)\n","name":"1404318","status":"inherit","uploadedTo":1404311,"date":1770247243000,"modified":1770247244000,"menuOrder":0,"mime":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.svg","dateFormatted":"February 4, 2026","nonces":{"update":false,"delete":false,"edit":false},"editLink":false,"meta":false,"authorName":"gqlshare","authorLink":"","uploadedToTitle":"Plastic surgeons group calls for delaying gender-affirming surgery until age 19","uploadedToLink":null,"filesizeInBytes":2681723,"filesizeHumanReadable":"3 MB","context":"","height":3809,"width":5714,"orientation":"landscape","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"height":"150","width":"150","url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","orientation":"landscape"},"medium":{"height":200,"width":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=300","orientation":"landscape"},"large":{"height":683,"width":1024,"url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=1024","orientation":"landscape"},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg","height":3809,"width":5714,"orientation":"landscape"}},"custom_caption":""},"data":[{"id":1404318,"title":"AP26013620260264","filename":"AP26013620260264.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/04\/transgender-health-plastic-surgeons\/attachment\/1404318\/","alt":"","author":"14","description":"","caption":"Protesters gather outside the Supreme Court as it hears arguments over state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana)\n","name":"1404318","status":"inherit","uploadedTo":1404311,"date":1770247243000,"modified":1770247244000,"menuOrder":0,"mime":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.svg","dateFormatted":"February 4, 2026","nonces":{"update":false,"delete":false,"edit":false},"editLink":false,"meta":false,"authorName":"gqlshare","authorLink":"","uploadedToTitle":"Plastic surgeons group calls for delaying gender-affirming surgery until age 19","uploadedToLink":null,"filesizeInBytes":2681723,"filesizeHumanReadable":"3 MB","context":"","height":3809,"width":5714,"orientation":"landscape","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"height":"150","width":"150","url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","orientation":"landscape"},"medium":{"height":200,"width":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=300","orientation":"landscape"},"large":{"height":683,"width":1024,"url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=1024","orientation":"landscape"},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg","height":3809,"width":5714,"orientation":"landscape"}},"custom_caption":""}],"rendered_content":"<img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail lazyload\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" draggable=\"false\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=5714 5714w,https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=640 640w,https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=800 800w,https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=1040 1040w,https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=624 624w,https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=625 625w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg\" \/>"},"attachments":[{"ID":1404312,"post_author":14,"post_name":"1404312","post_type":"attachment","post_title":"Supreme_Court_Transgender_Athletes_60264","post_date":"2026-02-04 18:08:28","post_date_gmt":"2026-02-04 23:08:28","post_excerpt":"Protesters gather outside the Supreme Court as it hears arguments over state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana)\n","post_status":"inherit","post_parent":1404311,"post_modified":"2026-02-04 18:18:36","post_modified_gmt":"2026-02-04 23:18:36","guid":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/?attachment_id=1404312","post_mime_type":"image\/jpeg","credit":"","prepared_image":{"id":1404312,"title":"Supreme_Court_Transgender_Athletes_60264","filename":"Supreme_Court_Transgender_Athletes_60264.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Supreme_Court_Transgender_Athletes_60264.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/04\/transgender-health-plastic-surgeons\/attachment\/1404312\/","alt":"","author":"14","description":"","caption":"Protesters gather outside the Supreme Court as it hears arguments over state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana)\n","name":"1404312","status":"inherit","uploadedTo":1404311,"date":1770246508000,"modified":1770247116000,"menuOrder":0,"mime":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.svg","dateFormatted":"February 4, 2026","nonces":{"update":false,"delete":false,"edit":false},"editLink":false,"meta":false,"authorName":"gqlshare","authorLink":"","uploadedToTitle":"Plastic surgeons group calls for delaying gender-affirming surgery until age 19","uploadedToLink":null,"filesizeInBytes":1172284,"filesizeHumanReadable":"1 MB","context":"","height":3809,"width":5714,"orientation":"landscape","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"height":"150","width":"150","url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Supreme_Court_Transgender_Athletes_60264.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","orientation":"landscape"},"medium":{"height":200,"width":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Supreme_Court_Transgender_Athletes_60264.jpg?w=300","orientation":"landscape"},"large":{"height":683,"width":1024,"url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Supreme_Court_Transgender_Athletes_60264.jpg?w=1024","orientation":"landscape"},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Supreme_Court_Transgender_Athletes_60264.jpg","height":3809,"width":5714,"orientation":"landscape"}},"custom_captions":[]},"custom_captions":[]},{"ID":1404318,"post_author":14,"post_name":"1404318","post_type":"attachment","post_title":"AP26013620260264","post_date":"2026-02-04 18:20:43","post_date_gmt":"2026-02-04 23:20:43","post_excerpt":"Protesters gather outside the Supreme Court as it hears arguments over state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana)\n","post_status":"inherit","post_parent":1404311,"post_modified":"2026-02-04 18:20:44","post_modified_gmt":"2026-02-04 23:20:44","guid":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/04\/transgender-health-plastic-surgeons\/attachment\/1404318\/","post_mime_type":"image\/jpeg","credit":"","prepared_image":{"id":1404318,"title":"AP26013620260264","filename":"AP26013620260264.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/04\/transgender-health-plastic-surgeons\/attachment\/1404318\/","alt":"","author":"14","description":"","caption":"Protesters gather outside the Supreme Court as it hears arguments over state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana)\n","name":"1404318","status":"inherit","uploadedTo":1404311,"date":1770247243000,"modified":1770247244000,"menuOrder":0,"mime":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.svg","dateFormatted":"February 4, 2026","nonces":{"update":false,"delete":false,"edit":false},"editLink":false,"meta":false,"authorName":"gqlshare","authorLink":"","uploadedToTitle":"Plastic surgeons group calls for delaying gender-affirming surgery until age 19","uploadedToLink":null,"filesizeInBytes":2681723,"filesizeHumanReadable":"3 MB","context":"","height":3809,"width":5714,"orientation":"landscape","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"height":"150","width":"150","url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","orientation":"landscape"},"medium":{"height":200,"width":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=300","orientation":"landscape"},"large":{"height":683,"width":1024,"url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=1024","orientation":"landscape"},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg","height":3809,"width":5714,"orientation":"landscape"}},"custom_captions":[]},"custom_captions":[]}],"authors":[{"ID":741,"display_name":"Associated press","description":"The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative, serving member newspapers and broadcasters in the U.S., and other customers around the world. The Southern California News Group is one of them. AP journalists in more than 100 countries tell the world\u2019s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting to visual storytelling. Since 1846, AP has been covering the world\u2019s biggest news events, committed to the highest standards of objective, accurate journalism. Learn more about policies and standards in AP\u2019s Statement of News Values and Principles. https:\/\/www.ap.org\/about\/news-values-and-principles\/","first_name":"Associated","last_name":"press","user_nicename":"associated-press","user_login":"associated-press","user_email":"","type":"guest-author","linked_account":0,"website":"","twitter":"","facebook":"","google_plus":""}],"taxonomies":{"category":[{"term_id":7867,"name":"National Politics","slug":"national-politics","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":7867,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":27,"count":6325,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":22,"name":"News","slug":"news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":22,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":50546,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":27,"name":"Politics","slug":"politics","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":27,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":22,"count":7235,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[{"term_id":7601,"name":"Network","slug":"network","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":7601,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"Network","parent":0,"count":26679,"filter":"raw"}]},"featured_media_array":{"id":1404318,"title":"AP26013620260264","filename":"AP26013620260264.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/04\/transgender-health-plastic-surgeons\/attachment\/1404318\/","alt":"","author":"14","description":"","caption":"Protesters gather outside the Supreme Court as it hears arguments over state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana)\n","name":"1404318","status":"inherit","uploadedTo":1404311,"date":1770247243000,"modified":1770247244000,"menuOrder":0,"mime":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.svg","dateFormatted":"February 4, 2026","nonces":{"update":false,"delete":false,"edit":false},"editLink":false,"meta":false,"authorName":"gqlshare","authorLink":"","uploadedToTitle":"Plastic surgeons group calls for delaying gender-affirming surgery until age 19","uploadedToLink":null,"filesizeInBytes":2681723,"filesizeHumanReadable":"3 MB","context":"","height":3809,"width":5714,"orientation":"landscape","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"height":"150","width":"150","url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","orientation":"landscape"},"medium":{"height":200,"width":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=300","orientation":"landscape"},"large":{"height":683,"width":1024,"url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=1024","orientation":"landscape"},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg","height":3809,"width":5714,"orientation":"landscape"}},"custom_caption":""},"syndication_canonical":"https:\/\/www.twincities.com\/2026\/02\/04\/transgender-health-plastic-surgeons\/","parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/04\/transgender-health-plastic-surgeons\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Plastic surgeons group calls for delaying gender-affirming surgery until age 19","url":"http:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/04\/transgender-health-plastic-surgeons\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/04\/transgender-health-plastic-surgeons\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg"},"articleSection":"Other","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Associated press"}],"creator":["Associated press"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The News Herald","logo":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/newsheraldfallback.jpg?w=600"},"keywords":["network"],"dateCreated":"2026-02-04T22:55:48Z","datePublished":"2026-02-04T22:55:48Z","dateModified":"2026-02-04T23:20:44Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Plastic surgeons group calls for delaying gender-affirming surgery until age 19\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.thenewsherald.com\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/04\\\/transgender-health-plastic-surgeons\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.thenewsherald.com\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/04\\\/transgender-health-plastic-surgeons\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thenewsherald.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/AP26013620260264.jpg?w=150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thenewsherald.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/AP26013620260264.jpg\"},\"articleSection\":\"Other\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Associated press\"}],\"creator\":[\"Associated press\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"The News Herald\",\"logo\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thenewsherald.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/newsheraldfallback.jpg?w=600\"},\"keywords\":[\"network\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2026-02-04T22:55:48Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-04T22:55:48Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-04T23:20:44Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/thenewsherald.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26013620260264.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pd2U47-5Tkb","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1404311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1404311"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1404311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1404313,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1404311\/revisions\/1404313"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1404318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1404311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1404311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1404311"},{"taxonomy":"feature","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature?post=1404311"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=1404311"},{"taxonomy":"type-of-work","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type-of-work?post=1404311"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1404311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}