Pediatric Gender Clinics End Services Amid Federal Funding Changes

LA Children’s Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, Connecticut Children’s Hospital, and more have announced an end to “gender affirming care” services for individuals under 19 years of age after pressure from the Trump administration. On July 9, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it had sent subpoenas to more than 20 doctors and clinics providing transgender medical procedures for children.

In May, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a 400-page report concluding that there is weak evidence to support GAC medical procedures for children. The report’s conclusions align with the Cass Report released in the United Kingdom and also align with current protocols in the UK.

Weeks later, Secretary Kennedy and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz sent letters to healthcare providers asking them to modify their protocols to ensure their treatment for children is evidence-based.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January calling for a halt to federal funds for health clinics and hospitals that provide GAC procedures for minors. LA Children’s Hospital, one of the oldest and largest clinics providing transgender services, announced that it would be terminating services due to the pressure. The hospital receives two-thirds of its funding from federal sources, and some grants have already been terminated.

The hospital wrote in a statement, “Despite [a] deeply held commitment to supporting LA’s gender-diverse community, the hospital has been left with no viable path forward.” The hospital has approximately 3,000 patients who will have to find a different clinic if they wish to continue receiving GAC services.

Kaiser Permanente announced that it would halt all pediatric GAC surgeries, but will still provide referrals when available. Kaiser said it will continue to provide GAC medications, including puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.

UChicago Medicine is discontinuing all pediatric GAC services as a result of potential federal funding cuts. Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., will no longer prescribe puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones for children.

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center is also halting all care for individuals under 19 years old. The center issued a statement attributable to President and CEO Jim Shmerling. “In recent months, we have been carefully reviewing the long-term sustainability of our gender care program in light of an increasingly complex and evolving landscape. After thoughtful consideration and guidance from medical and legal experts, we have made the difficult decision to begin winding down this program for patients under the age of 19.”

Yale Medicine and Yale New Haven Hospital (YMYNH) also announced it was halting all GAC services for youth as a result of the funding, because two-thirds of its funding comes from federal sources, specifically from Medicare and Medicaid.

“We recognize the profound impact this decision will have on the patients and families we serve,” YMYNH representatives wrote in a letter to parents and guardians. “This was not an easy decision, nor one made lightly. We remain committed to offering mental health services and support in a compassionate care environment to all our impacted patients.”

The HHS report recommends that patients with gender affirming care utilize psychotherapeutic interventions as a non-invasive alternative to puberty blockers, hormone interventions, and surgical procedures.

While there is no federal law that explicitly prohibits providing prescriptions and surgeries for minors with gender dysphoria or gender incongruence, many of these clinics receive a large portion of their funding from Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal funding programs. Trump’s executive order called for an end to this funding for any institutions that continue to provide “chemical and surgical mutilation” to individuals under 19 years of age.

In addition to the federal funding freeze, some states have passed laws limiting this kind of care for children. The Tennessee law banning GAC procedures for children was challenged and upheld by the Supreme Court. This ruling will allow the bans in other states to remain in place. Currently, 27 states have some ban on GAC procedures or medications for youth. Montana and Arkansas both have bans that are currently blocked by judicial ruling.

California Senator Scott Wiener issued a statement following the closure of pediatric GAC programs at Kaiser Permanente, Stanford Medicine, and LA Children’s Hospital. He said, “California law is clear: Health systems can’t deny care to trans people. And this is a straight-up denial of care to youth who are under the care of a physician and whose parents have consented to the treatment.”

Andy Harris, U.S. House Representative for Maryland, said, “Ending gender-transition procedures for minors is common sense. Children need protection, not experimental, irreversible treatments driven by radical ideology.”

Pediatric clinics providing treatment for gender dysphoria continue to shutter their programs under pressure from the federal government and state bans on GAC medications and surgeries continue to take effect across the country.

Before taking office to begin his second term, President Trump promised his administration would take several steps to bring an end to pediatric medical procedures and medications for gender dysphoria. He said, “The left-wing gender insanity being pushed on our children is an act of child abuse… On day one, I will revoke Joe Biden’s cruel policies on so-called ‘gender-affirming care.’ Ridiculous. I will sign a new executive order instructing every federal agency to cease all programs that promote the concept of sex and gender transition at any age.”

The closure of pediatric gender clinics providing puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries to children will make it more difficult for children to obtain this type of care in the future.