Hospitals in Colorado, Virginia, and Washington, DC, have paused gender-affirming care for minors as they assess President Trump's recent executive order. This order, signed Thursday, aims to cut federal support for such care, reversing previous policies that protected transgender individuals. In response, Denver Health in Colorado confirmed it has halted gender-affirming surgeries for those under 19 to comply and maintain federal funding. It remains uncertain if the hospital will continue providing hormone therapy and puberty blockers.
In Virginia, VCU Health, and Children's Hospital of Richmond have stopped both gender-affirming medications and surgeries for individuals under 19. Similarly, Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC, has paused prescriptions for puberty blockers and hormone therapy; it did not perform surgeries on minors even before the order.
The order, using terms such as "chemical and surgical mutilation," contrasts with established norms for gender-affirming care and labels recommendations from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) as "junk science." WPATH has stated that such restrictions adversely affect transgender youth and their families.
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Despite these changes, some hospitals, like the Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, are still reviewing the order and its potential implications. Lurie Children's said: "Our team will continue to advocate for access to medically necessary care, grounded in science and compassion for the patient-families we are so privileged to serve." (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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