The medical watchdog group Do No Harm has released a significant new study examining whether state laws that prohibit so-called medical gender‑affirming procedures for minors have any measurable impact on suicide rates. Using government mortality data (completed suicides) the researchers found that states adopting bans on gender‑transition procedures for minors show zero increase in teen suicide rates.
This study directly challenges claims from certain advocacy groups that restricting these interventions harms the mental health of youth experiencing gender confusion or increases suicidality. The findings instead suggest that these dire warnings are not supported by reliable evidence.
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If policies restricting gender‑transition procedures for minors do not lead to increased suicide ideation or completed suicides, then Virginians must consider the opposite risk:
If voters approve the abortion amendment this fall, which enshrines a sweeping “reproductive right” into the state constitution, Virginia could see a rise in suicide attempts among youth as gender‑transition procedures become more accessible and shielded from parental involvement.
Below are key findings reported by Do No Harm:
- Claims that restrictions increase suicide attempts rely on methodologically weak or misleading research.
- The study rejects conclusions from a 2024 Trevor Project report published in Nature Human Behavior claiming “anti‑transgender laws” caused up to a 72% increase in suicide attempts among transgender or nonbinary youth.
- A peer‑reviewed critique of the report published in Nature Human Behavior found that the 72% figure came from a very small subsample of Idaho adolescents, and that the laws cited had not even gone into effect during the study period.
- Using completed suicide data, not self‑reported surveys, Do No Harm concludes that states with bans on gender‑transition procedures for minors show zero increase in teen suicide rates.
How will the abortion amendment open the door for more gender-transition treatments among minors?
The abortion amendment on Virginia’s ballot this fall contains broad and ambiguous language that can be interpreted as affirming gender‑transition and sterilization rights.
The phrase “reproductive freedom” is not defined. Its vagueness creates a legal pathway for courts to interpret it as protecting access to puberty blockers, cross‑sex hormones, and other transgender‑related procedures, even for minors over parental objections.
Additionally, the amendment explicitly protects “fertility care.” Because fertility care includes sterilization procedures, and because the amendment does not limit these rights to adults, the amendment could be used to justify gender‑transition interventions for minors, including sterilizing treatments.
Voters should review the full ballot question and amendment text HERE before voting.
Early in-person voting started on September 18. You have until November 3rd to vote. So please be sure to vote, and vote NO on all three amendments.
LifeNews Note: Victoria Cobb is the president of The Family Foundation, based in Virginia.
