Trump Signs Executive Order Restricting Transition-Related Medical Care for Minors
TL/DR –
President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” which aims to limit access to transition-related medical care for minors under 19 years old. The order prohibits federal funding for such care, restricts related research and education grants, and instructs federal agencies to reject guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. LGBTQ advocacy group Lambda Legal pledged to fight against the order, while several recent studies suggest that transition-related care improves mental health and reduces suicide rates in minors.
Trump’s Executive Order Targets Transition-related Healthcare for Minors
Former President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday, aiming to limit transition-related medical care for minors. Titled “Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation“, the order seeks to restrict access to gender-affirming care, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgery, for individuals under the age of 19.
The executive order prohibits federal funding for this type of care for minors, limits research and education grants to medical schools and hospitals, and calls upon the Health and Human Services secretary to issue regulations ending such care. It presses federal agencies to rescind guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), an organization instrumental in providing transgender medical care guidelines.
However, the executive order has faced significant backlash from LGBTQ legal advocacy groups like Lambda Legal, vowing to oppose it in court. Lambda Legal attorney Omar Gonzalez-Pagan criticized the order for denying transgender youth access to medically recommended healthcare available to their cisgender peers.
States Restricting Transition-related Care for Minors
Transition-related care for minors has been a hot button issue, with 26 states passing laws limiting such care. Despite this, a recent JAMA Pediatrics study showed that less than 0.1% of US adolescents with private insurance are prescribed puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones.
Medical Associations Support Transition Care for Minors
Major medical associations, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychological Association, advocate for access to transition care for minors, opposing restrictions.
Trump’s Order Calls for a Review of Transition-related Care Practices
The executive order, in a section named “Ending Reliance on Junk Science,” calls for a review of existing literature on best practices for promoting the health of children with gender dysphoria. It aims to improve data quality to guide practices for improving the health of minors with gender dysphoria or other identity-based confusion.
Studies Show Positive Impact of Transition-related Care
Several studies in recent years show transition-related care benefits minors’ mental health and lowers suicide rates. Despite this, the UK banned new prescriptions of puberty blockers for treating gender dysphoria in minors, following an independent study suggesting weak medical evidence for such care. This study faced criticism from researchers and activists.
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