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Hospitals Pause Gender-Affirming Care Following Trump’s Executive Order



What’s Happening


Hospitals in multiple states have paused gender-affirming care for minors after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday restricting such treatments. The order directs federal agencies to ensure that hospitals receiving federal research and education grants stop providing gender-affirming medical care to individuals under 19.


The order is part of Trump’s broader effort to roll back Biden administration policies that sought to protect transgender individuals' access to medical care. Hospitals in Colorado, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., are among the first to halt services as they evaluate how to comply with the directive while maintaining federal funding.


Which Hospitals Are Affected?


  • Denver Health (Colorado): Confirmed that it has stopped performing gender-affirming surgeries for individuals under 19. It is unclear whether other services, such as hormone therapy and puberty blockers, will continue. The hospital stated that it is assessing how the executive order affects its services.

  • VCU Health & Children’s Hospital of Richmond (Virginia): Suspended all gender-affirming medications and surgical procedures for minors.

  • Children’s National Hospital (Washington, D.C.): Announced it has paused prescriptions of puberty blockers and hormone therapy while it reviews compliance with the order. The hospital did not previously perform gender-affirming surgeries on minors.


Other hospitals, such as Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, stated that they are reviewing the order and determining if it will impact their services. The hospital emphasized its commitment to providing necessary medical care and supporting transgender youth and their families.


Why It Matters


Trump’s executive order is part of a larger push to restrict gender-affirming care, which the administration has described in strong and controversial language. The order refers to treatments as “mutilation,” “sterilization,” and “maiming,” language that contradicts standard medical terminology used by professionals in the field.


The move reverses efforts by the Biden administration to protect transgender rights and ensure access to gender-affirming health care. Trump’s order argues that the federal government should not support hospitals that provide these services to minors.


Medical Community Response


The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) strongly opposes the restrictions, stating that limiting access to gender-affirming medical care harms both patients and their families. WPATH emphasized that such treatments are based on extensive research and international guidelines, contradicting the executive order’s claim that they constitute “junk science.”


Multiple studies show that gender-affirming care for minors is uncommon. A recent study found that fewer than 1 in 1,000 U.S. adolescents with commercial insurance received puberty blockers or hormones over a five-year period. Additionally, the vast majority of gender-affirming surgeries in the U.S. are performed on adults rather than minors.


Impact on Transgender Youth


Hospitals have expressed concerns that the new restrictions could have serious mental health consequences for transgender youth. Denver Health specifically stated that the order will likely affect the well-being of its transgender patients. While it has paused certain treatments, the hospital has committed to continuing primary and behavioral health care for gender-diverse patients under 19.


Advocates for transgender rights warn that halting access to gender-affirming care could lead to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among transgender youth. Medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, support gender-affirming care as essential and life-saving for some patients.


What’s Next?


Hospitals across the country are still evaluating how the executive order will affect their operations. Some may adjust their policies to comply with federal funding requirements, while others may seek legal challenges or alternative funding sources to continue providing care. As the legal and political landscape continues to shift, the future of gender-affirming medical care for minors remains uncertain.



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