An autistic woman who underwent a double mastectomy at just 16 years old has been awarded $2 million in compensation.

In the first verdict of its kind, a jury in New York State gave Fox Varian $1.6 million for pain and suffering, with $400,000 for future medical expenses.

According to court documents, the now 22-year-old was diagnosed with autism at 14 and struggled with anxiety, depression and an eating disorder. The following year she started questioning her gender, but just five months before her surgery she reportedly told a counsellor that she was still unsure of her ‘gender identity’.

‘Disfigured for life’

The court was told that Varian’s mastectomy was “wrongly presented” as a solution to her gender dysphoria, and the jury agreed that there had been a “departure from the standard of care”.

Mum Claire Deacon said she only consented to the procedure because she was told that her daughter could commit suicide otherwise, but now Claire suggests that it had been a “scare tactic”.

Speaking in court, Varian said she quickly realised that the procedure was a mistake.

“I immediately had a thought that this was wrong, and it couldn’t be true. It’s hard to face that you are disfigured for life.”

Lack of evidence

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has announced that it will no longer recommend transgender procedures for children, becoming the first major medical association in the US to do so.

In a statement obtained by The Washington Post, the group advised its members that trans-affirming chest, genital and facial surgery should be delayed until a child is 19 years old.

The new guidance explains that there is “insufficient evidence demonstrating a favourable risk-benefit ratio” on such procedures, and also warns of a “substantial uncertainty” about the long-term effects of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.

According to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, mastectomies currently account for the majority of trans-affirming surgeries for under-18s.