Some hospitals across the country have stopped providing hormone blockers to children following President Donald Trump’s executive order halting the federal government from funding such procedures.
Trump signed an order Tuesday prohibiting the “chemical and surgical mutilation” of minors, citing the irreversible damages it causes. Just days later, Denver Health, VCU Health and the Children’s Hospital of Richmond and several others announced the suspension of the practices.
Children’s National Hospital, one of the top-ranked pediatric hospitals in the county with several locations in the Washington, D.C. area, announced it had halted prescriptions for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for those under the age of 19 in accordance with the executive order.
“Children’s National is committed to providing compassionate and comprehensive care in accordance with the law,” the hospital announced in a press release Thursday. “As a result, we are currently pausing all puberty blockers and hormone therapy prescriptions for transgender youth patients, per the guidelines in the Executive Order issued by the White House this week. Children’s National already does not perform gender affirming surgery for minors.”
Denver Health’s “LGBTQ+” pediatric page has since been removed and now redirects to the site with information on transgender services for adults.
“Denver Health is committed to and deeply concerned for the health and safety of our gender diverse patients under the age of 19 in light of the executive order regarding youth gender-affirming care,” the Colorado hospital said in a statement Thursday, according to 9News. “We recognize this order will impact gender-diverse youth, including increased risk of depression, anxiety and suicidality.”
“VCU Health and Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU have suspended gender-affirming medication and gender-affirming surgical procedures for those under 19 years old in response to a White House executive order and clear guidance from the state provided to VCU,” the Virginia-based medical centers said in an announcement of the change.
Some hospitals have yet to halt the procedures, with Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago saying it “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,” according to The Associated Press.
Trump’s executive order describes sex change procedures as a “horrifying tragedy” and says “medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child’s sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions.”
On his first day in office, the president signed a separate executive order stating the federal government will only recognize male and female as the two valid sexes.
The United Kingdom in 2024 put an indefinite pause on puberty blockers for children, citing an “unacceptable safety risk.” Concerns were raised in the nation after reports circulated that transgender youth centers were rushing children through irreversible medical procedures without proper evaluation.
Denver Health, VCU and the Children’s Hospital of Richmond did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
