As Alaska Public Media reports, that in Alaska, any medical professional who engages in these practices, which are irreversible, would be conducting what the board would consider “unprofessional conduct.” Medical providers of this care can be sanctioned by the board, risking their licenses. However, these regulations do not apply to nurses or nurse practitioners.
Neurosurgeon Dr. David Paulson, who is a member of the board, said that this decision was made to prevent minors from making irreversible medical decisions.
Dr. Quentin Van Meter is a pediatric endocrinologist and a member of the Executive Committee of the American College of Pediatricians. He joined Washington Watch to share his reaction.
"The news from Alaska is heartening in that the state medical board has taken up a position that really every state medical board in the country needs to consider," Meter says.
He said that, if this is done, this is how physicians are kept within the standards of care.
"This is how they are taken to task if they step outside those standards and do things that are against the standards of care determined by the state medical boards,” states Meter. “When a state medical board acts as Alaska has done, just as Florida has done in the past very successfully, then there need to be no laws at the state level that interfere with medical care."
Meter said that now the state doesn't have to establish something that the state medical board should be doing in the first place.
"So, this is good news. It's recognized at that state level. It's not yet official, but we are looking forward to the final word on the appropriate passage of this particular recommendation from the state medical board," Meter says.
Meter said consequences for violations of Board requirements can include sanctions and removal of licensure in the state.
