Open Letter from Alaska Health Professionals to the Alaska State Medical Board

Re: Proposed resolution labeling gender-affirming care for minors as “unprofessional conduct”

To the Alaska State Medical Board,

We, the undersigned Alaska health professionals, write to strongly oppose the Board’s proposal to classify gender-affirming care for minors as “unprofessional conduct.”

Earlier this year, the legislature declined to act on similar recommendations from the Board—rejecting interference in standards of care as inappropriate. By now advancing a resolution, the Board is disregarding that decision and overstepping its proper role. Even more concerning, in the same discussion the Board raised abortion as another area for punitive action, signaling an alarming trend of politicizing medicine across multiple domains.

Gender-affirming care for adolescents, when indicated and provided in partnership with families, is evidence-based medicine. It is recognized by every major medical association—including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the Endocrine Society—as the standard of care. Labeling it “negligence” is not a medical conclusion. It is a political act with devastating consequences: punishing clinicians, undermining parents, and denying young people lifesaving treatment.

Alaska realities matter:

• Our state already faces severe shortages in pediatric, primary care, and behavioral health. Restricting providers further will force families to travel out of state, delay care, or go without.
• These same medications are safely prescribed to cisgender youth for other conditions. Singling out transgender youth is discriminatory, not scientific.
• Alaska has long recognized the constitutional right to privacy in family medical decisions. This proposal undermines that legacy.

We urge the Board to:

1. Withdraw the proposed resolution.
2. Affirm evidence-based standards of care.
3. Engage clinicians and national experts in dialogue and education, not punitive threats.

As Alaska providers, our duty is to deliver safe, evidence-based care rooted in science and ethics. This proposal endangers that trust—and we cannot remain silent.