- Legal brief to Supreme Federal Tribunal supports Brazilian Medical Council’s decision to ban ‘gender transition’ of minors
- ADF International, in conjunction with Instituto Isabel, urges the Tribunal to uphold Brazil’s right to shield minors from experimental gender interventions.
BRASILIA (JULY 14) – Pending before the supreme court of Brazil is a decision to ban so-called “gender transition” of minors. The case follows an April decision by the Brazilian Federal Council of Medicine, which issued updated ethical and technical standards for managing gender dysphoria for individuals under the age of 21 by banning the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and potentially irreversible surgeries to encourage minors to live as the opposite sex.
“Trans-activist” groups challenged the guidelines in court. In response, ADF International and Brazilian organisation Instituto Isabel filed an amicus brief urging the court to uphold the Council’s authority and shield minors from experimental gender interventions. The Supreme Federal Tribunal is expected to decide on the challenge to the new guidelines later this year.
“No child should be subjected to dangerous experiments that carry permanent, life-altering consequences. We fully endorse the Brazilian Medical Council’s decision to prohibit these so-called treatments and have urged the Supreme Federal Tribunal to uphold the decision in accordance with Brazil’s international human rights obligations to protect children. This is about ensuring that medical practice remains rooted in evidence and ethics, not gender ideology."
“No child should be subjected to dangerous experiments that carry permanent, life-altering consequences,” said Tomás Henriquez, Director of Advocacy for Latin America at ADF International. “We fully endorse the Brazilian Medical Council’s decision to prohibit these so-called treatments and have urged the Supreme Federal Tribunal to uphold the decision in accordance with Brazil’s international human rights obligations to protect children. This is about ensuring that medical practice remains rooted in evidence and ethics, not gender ideology.”
ADF International’s legal brief argues that the Medical Council’s resolution addresses pressing public health concerns and is supported by international law. It references the long-lasting harms of so-called “transgender” medical interventions for minors, calling on Brazil to ensure the right to health of children by prohibiting access to experimental interventions.
The brief cites recent court decisions, including a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Skrmetti, which confirmed that U.S. states can set limits on gender-related medical procedures for minors. It urges the Supreme Federal Tribunal of Brazil to uphold similar protections by applying international law and fulfilling its duties under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The brief states that the Medical Council “[H]as a compelling interest in safeguarding the physical and psychological well-being of minors and protecting minors from unsafe medical procedures is a part of that interest.”
The brief references medical research as part of a growing, larger global consensus to suspend the practice of experimental gender interventions, opting instead for non-invasive psychological treatments.
It states, “Previous guidelines for treating gender dysphoria, which allowed for the dispensation of puberty blockers and cross-hormone therapy for minors, as well as for irreversible surgical procedures, lack scientific evidence and have been widely criticized by the scientific community. The new guidelines (…) are part of a reversal in course by health authorities in many nations that once allowed these procedures or forms of intervention without regard for the integral health of minors.
Support from UN Special Rapporteur
On 16 June 2025, Reem Alsalem, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, publicly welcomed the Medical Council’s decision, describing the resolution as consistent with its international human rights obligations and a necessary step to protect minors. Alsalem emphasized that permitting children to undergo medicalized gender interventions “violates their right to safety, security, and freedom from violence,” and warned of the long-term physical and psychological harms associated with these interventions.
International Shift to Dismantle Gender Ideology
The move places Brazil among a growing number of countries reassessing the use of these interventions on children in light of serious ethical and medical concerns.
In South America, Chile and Argentina have taken steps to restrict the performance of such interventions, and to curtail the influence of gender ideology in its policies. In the U.K., following the publication of the Cass Review, which criticized youth gender treatments, the Tavistock Clinic was shut down by the National Health Service, and the Health Secretary introduced a permanent ban on the use of puberty blockers as a treatment for transgender affirmation. Countries across Europe, including Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Hungary, and Slovakia have implemented legal or administrative measures to restrict these interventions on minors.
“Governments are beginning to recognize that so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ for minors is anything but settled,” said Andrea Hoffmann, President of Instituto Isabel. “Brazil’s actions reflect a broader international shift—one that puts the wellbeing of children ahead of political pressure and medical experimentation. We urge the Supreme Federal Tribunal to uphold the Medical Council’s decision and affirm the country’s duty to protect children and safeguard ethical medical practice.”
