Trump administration proposes measures to restrict gender-affirming care for minors

The Trump administration announced new measures aimed at curtailing transition-related medical care for minors across the United States, labeling such treatments as “sex-rejecting procedures,” a terminology adopted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

As part of this initiative, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will commence a rule-making process to restrict hospitals from providing puberty blockers, hormone therapies, or surgical interventions to minors who participate in Medicare or Medicaid programs. As reported by The Guardian, the proposed regulations would also prohibit the use of Medicaid funds for these medical services. Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) collectively cover nearly half of all children in America.

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. emphasized the administration's stance, declaring, "Under my leadership and in alignment with President Trump’s directive, the federal government is committed to halting dangerous, irreversible practices that jeopardize our youth." He asserted that "this administration will defend the most vulnerable in America. Our children deserve better, and we are fulfilling that promise."

In addition to this proposal, HHS revealed that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) intends to issue warnings to 12 companies manufacturing or marketing breast binders for minors experiencing gender dysphoria, alleging illegal marketing practices. Gender dysphoria describes the discomfort arising from a discordance between an individual’s gender identity and their sex assigned at birth.

Kennedy criticized the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics for endorsing what he termed “chemical and surgical sex-rejecting procedures" as beneficial for children. "This is not medicine; it amounts to malpractice," he stated during a press conference.

Additionally, it was disclosed that the administration has rescinded multiple multimillion-dollar grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), citing issues related to “identity-based” terminology following the AAP's public disapproval of Kennedy's revamp of national vaccine policies. Furthermore, HHS is working to reverse a Biden-era policy that recognized gender dysphoria as a disability under federal law. A proposed update to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 would define “disability” and “individual with a disability” in a manner that excludes gender dysphoria unless accompanied by a physical impairment.

These developments have sparked extensive criticism from healthcare professionals, lawmakers, and LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations. Dr. Jamila Perritt, an OB/GYN and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health, asserted, "Gender-affirming care is lifesaving care. The proposed regulations represent a calculated attack on transgender youth, their families, and the healthcare providers committed to delivering necessary care. This is a scenario where lives are at stake."

Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, senior vice president for public engagement campaigns at the Trevor Project, stated, “Access to healthcare is a right for all, including transgender and nonbinary youth. Medical choices should be guided by doctors, patients, and families, not mandated by federal authorities.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James condemned the measures, asserting, “This administration seems more intent on targeting young individuals than on reducing costs or expanding healthcare access. It is unacceptable for our federal government to harm and isolate the adolescents it is mandated to protect. I will employ all available resources to combat this proposal and support transgender Americans and their families.”

These proposals represent the latest in a series of actions from the Trump administration aimed at restricting access to specific types of transgender healthcare for both minors and adults. In his second term's early weeks, Donald Trump issued several executive orders focused on transgender issues, including one asserting the existence of only two sexes and another prohibiting federal financing for hospitals that provide transition-related care to minors.

HHS released a review in May indicating that the scientific evidence supporting gender-affirming care for minors is "very low," a conclusion that contrasts with the views of most major medical organizations in the US, which advocate for access to such care and have denounced efforts to impose restrictions.

On Wednesday evening, the House of Representatives approved a bill sponsored by Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene aimed at criminalizing gender-affirming care for individuals under the age of 18. Democratic Congressman Mark Takano, chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, cautioned that this legislation could criminalize parents, denouncing it as “the most extreme anti-transgender legislation to have progressed in the House” and a direct affront to parental rights in seeking medical assistance for their children.

Additionally, on Thursday, another bill introduced by Republican Dan Crenshaw prohibiting Medicaid funding for gender-affirming care for minors was passed by the House. However, neither piece of legislation is anticipated to gain sufficient Democratic support to progress through the Senate.