Since our last newsletter in April 2025, SAHM and the Advocacy Committee have continued to join forces with other organizations to influence national adolescent health policy and to play a role in key legal decisions and cases that affect the health and wellbeing of adolescents and young adults (AYA). The pace of policy developments impacting AYA health is quickening, and so too is SAHM’s advocacy work. Our major areas of focus include advocating: on behalf of marginalized youth under attack, in support of vaccine integrity and access, and for AYA access to the comprehensive and publicly funded healthcare essential to their health and wellbeing.

SAHM Website
As always, SAHM’s advocacy activities are regularly updated here.

SAHM Position Papers
SAHM’s position papers contain our official positions on important policy and clinical issues. They provide the foundation for SAHM as an organization and for SAHM members to advocate on behalf of AYA.

Since April 2025, SAHM has issued the following new position papers:

• • Confidential Healthcare for Adolescent Minors and Young Adults
    Recently published revised SAHM position paper reaffirming the commitment towards ensuring adolescents and young adults (AYAs) have access to high-quality, developmentally appropriate, and confidential healthcare.
    
    
  • Emergency Contraception Update for Adolescents and Young Adults: Guidance for Health Care Professionals
    The purpose of this updated position paper is to provide a global perspective on improving access to all who seek EC use, along with reviewing advances in EC methods, expanded venues of access, and education.
    
    
  • Guidelines on the Inclusion and Protection of Adolescent Minors and Young Adults in Health Research: A Position Statement of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine
    This new position paper is an updated version of guidelines SAHM originally issued in 1995 that have been extensively used by researchers and institutional review boards (IRBs) for 30 years. The current version includes guidance from a global as well as a US perspective.
    
    
  • Protecting Financial Access to Health Care for Adolescents and Young Adults
    Healthcare to AYA has taken a big hit in US policy. The devastating “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” enacts historic cuts to publicly funded healthcare and safety net services; additionally, cuts to USAID slashed global health programming that supports AYA worldwide. In this paper, SAHM emphasizes the essential nature of publicly funded healthcare for AYA. 

Recent SAHM Statements

• • SAHM Condemns CDC Decision to Exclude Clinical Experts from Vaccine Policy Process – August 2, 2025
    SAHM condemns the CDC’s sudden removal of all 32 liaison organizations—including SAHM, AAP, AAFP, ACOG, and others—from participating in Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) workgroups.
    
    
  • Xenophobia Is Harming Our Youth: A Global and National Public Health Crisis – July 24, 2025
    SAHM warns that xenophobia—including anti-immigrant rhetoric, discriminatory policies, and family separation—is causing significant harm to the mental health and well-being of youth in the U.S. and globally.
    
    
  • SAHM Supports Scientific Integrity in Vaccine Policy to Protect the Health for Adolescents – June 26, 2025
    SAHM chose not to participate in the recent CDC ACIP meeting to uphold the independence and credibility of vaccine policy, aligning with other major medical organizations, including the AAP.
    
    
  • Defending Access to Gender-Affirming Care: SAHM’s Ongoing Commitment – June 19, 2025
    SAHM opposes the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, warning it endangers transgender and gender-diverse youth nationwide.
    
    
  • SAHM Urges Restoration of Scientific Integrity to CDC Vaccine Panel – June 13, 2025
    The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) expresses serious concern over the sudden replacement of all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). SAHM warns that this unprecedented move disrupts the committee’s scientific integrity, undermines public trust, and could worsen vaccine hesitancy—particularly affecting adolescents and young adults. The organization urges the administration to reinstate a transparent, science-based ACIP process led by experts in relevant fields to ensure continued confidence in immunization policies.
    
    
  • SAHM Reaffirms Support for Gender-Diverse Youth Amid Troubling HHS Report – May 5, 2025
    SAHM expressed deep concern about a recent HHS report on pediatric gender dysphoria. SAHM criticizes the report for lacking scientific rigor, transparency, and clear authorship, and warns that its conclusions—though not intended as clinical guidance—could negatively impact policy, practice, and the well-being of gender-diverse youth. SAHM reaffirms its commitment to evidence-based, individualized, and compassionate care for transgender and gender-diverse adolescents, and advocates for their access to high-quality health services. A commentary describing scientific flaws with the HHS Report in depth can be found here.

Coalition Work
In Q2, SAHM joined coalitions with other national organizations to participate in policy processes via letters to Congress and participation in public comments. In an environment of escalating threats to the health and wellbeing of AYA, coalition work is more important than ever. 

• • SAHM has joined a coalition of leading medical societies in signing a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in response to conflicting announcements regarding the COVID-19 vaccine schedule.
    
    
  • SAHM joined other medical professional societies in signing an open letter urging all payers and insurers to maintain full coverage of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy—without cost-sharing or administrative burdens—following the recent announcement by the HHS Secretary rescinding recommendations for vaccination during pregnancy.
    
    
  • SAHM joined an AAP-led coalition in submitting comments opposing a recently issued Interim Final Rule (IFR) that rescinds a prior Biden Administration policy. The original policy had prohibited the sharing of information between the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding the immigration status of potential sponsors for unaccompanied children.
    
    
  • SAHM joined a coalition led by the AAP and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) in sending a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services opposing the Administration’s plans to study a purported link between vaccines and autism. The letter emphasized that such a study would be a misuse of taxpayer resources and outlined the established scientific principles and processes that should guide any rigorous scientific inquiry on the topic.
    
    
  • SAHM joined the American Psychological Association and several other major medical organizations with an amicus brief filed in Chiles v Salazar, a challenge to Colorado’s law banning so-called conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ minors. This amicus brief describes how attempts to change a person’s identity are harmful and non-therapeutic, and further, that speech between clinicians and patients constitutes healthcare. This case will be heard by the US Supreme Court in the October 2025 term.
    
    
  • SAHM joined the AAP, the Endocrine Society and several other major medical organizations with an amicus brief filed in Moe v Yost, a challenge to Ohio’s ban on gender-affirming medical care for gender-diverse youth.

Education
The Advocacy Committee hosted a webinar entitled “Protecting Medicaid for Adolescents and Young Adults” on May 7, with presenters from the AAP and the National Health Law Program.

Leadership Update
Dr. Joanna Brown has passed the torch of being Advocacy Chair to Dr. Meredithe McNamara. We wish Dr. Brown the very best and thank her for her invaluable leadership over the years, during which she co-authored numerous SAHM position statements, supported SAHM’s participation in amicus briefs and letters to policymakers, and organized educational programming for SAHM members in advocacy. Dr. McNamara is at the Yale School of Medicine and brings her experience in countering scientific disinformation in policy and advocacy leadership at the national and local level on behalf of gender minority youth to SAHM’s Advocacy Committee.

Advocacy Resources
In addition to the advocacy support that SAHM provides, excellent resources are available through the state-level American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) chapters and other organizations. Each AAP state chapter has an executive director versed in state advocacy activities, legislative affairs, and ongoing lawsuits. SAHM partners with the AAP for many advocacy activities (national AAP advocacy site is here). Contact information for AAP state chapters can be found at: Chapter Websites (aap.org). The American Public Health Association (APHA), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the American College of Physicians (ACP) have great advocacy resources as well. We also encourage SAHM members to reach out to their SAHM regional chapters to learn about ongoing advocacy efforts, learn from each other and team up to amplify your voices.

Our future SAHM advocacy for AYAs will depend, as always, on the enthusiasm, commitment, dedication, creativity, and perseverance of SAHM members. The Advocacy Committee is ready to help. We would love to work with you. Here are the Advocacy Team members at SAHM: