The Trump administration has proposed new rules that would effectively ban gender-affirming care for minors nationwide.
The Department of Health and Human Services released a proposal that would prohibit hospitals receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding from providing gender-affirming treatments for those under age 19, including puberty blockers, hormone therapies or surgeries. More than two dozen states already have similar bans.
The proposed rules face a 60-day public comment period before they could take effect.
“Under my leadership, and answering President Trump’s call to action, the federal government will do everything in its power to stop unsafe, irreversible practices that put our children at risk,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. “This administration will protect America’s most vulnerable. Our children deserve better — and we are delivering on that promise.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics announced its opposition to the measure, while the ACUL said it would sue the federal government in hopes of getting the new rule blocked.
“These gratuitous proposals are cruel and unconstitutional attacks on the rights of transgender youth and their families,” said Chase Strangio, co-director of the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project. “By attempting to strip away essential healthcare, the administration is not 'protecting' anyone; it is weaponizing the federal government to target a vulnerable population for political gain. Healthcare decisions belong to families and their doctors, not politicians. The latest proposals from the administration would force doctors to choose between their ethical obligations to their patients and the threat of losing federal funding. It would uproot families who have already fled state-level bans, leaving them with nowhere to turn for the care they need to survive and thrive."
The prescribing of puberty blockers has been a point of contention between conservative lawmakers and hospitals.
According to the Mayo Clinic, puberty blockers pause the onset of puberty. For those with male anatomy, they slow the growth of genitals and facial hair. For those with female anatomy, they limit or stop breast development and menstruation.
The clinic notes these pauses are not permanent and puberty resumes when the medication is discontinued. It says puberty blockers “offer a chance to explore gender identity” and give youth and their families time to prepare for psychological, medical, developmental, social and legal considerations.
