Press Release

Do No Harm Report Debunks Utah Study on So-Called ‘Gender-Affirming Care’

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • December 9, 2025

RICHMOND, VA; December 9, 2025 – Today, Do No Harm released a report titled “Debunking the Utah Department of Health and Human Services’ Defense of Pediatric Medical Transition,” which exposes the errors in a report which seemingly aims to persuade the Utah State Legislature to allow hormonal interventions for minors with gender dysphoria. The Utah Report is filled with falsehoods and serves as an aid to push harmful medical interventions as the answer to minors’ confusion, all while blatantly ignoring the associated risks. 

Do No Harm lays out five key areas where the Utah Report falls short: 

  • The Utah Report fails to meet the basic requirements for being considered a systematic review.  
  • While the report references a large volume of data, it fails to acknowledge the data’s low quality.
  • The Utah Report accepts so-called guidelines for so-called “gender-affirming care” from major medical organizations at face value without scrutinizing them, even though previous systematic reviews had debunked these “guidelines.” 
  • The report neglects significant adverse side effects associated with “gender-affirming hormone therapy,” such as infertility, sterility, and sexual dysfunction. 
  • The Utah Report required the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (UDHSS) to consult with “advisors” who promoted so-called “gender-affirming care” and failed to disclose their biases. 

“This Utah Report is unreliable, unscientific, and fails to meet the standards of a systematic review,” said Michelle Havrilla, CRNP, Director of Programs – Gender Ideology for Do No Harm. “The Report’s inaccuracies and bias diminish its credibility and allow left-wing activists to weaponize it for their political machinations. Utah legislators must not rely on a report that clearly undermines the safety and well-being of minors.” 

The UDHHS conducted the Utah Report in response to S.B. 16 Transgender Medical Treatments and Procedures Amendments, signed into law in January of 2023. Although the Utah Report spans more than 1,000 pages of academic and technical language, it relies on sheer volume rather than on the quality of the evidence.  

Click here to read Do No Harm’s report. 

Do No Harm, established in April 2022, has rapidly gained recognition and made significant strides in its mission to safeguard healthcare from ideological threats. It has over 50,000 members, including doctors, nurses, physicians, and concerned citizens across all 50 states and 14 countries.