Trump Administration Moves to Restrict Transition-Related Medical Care for Minors
The Trump administration has unveiled a series of actions aimed at eliminating transition-related medical care for minors, labeling these treatments as "sex-rejecting procedures" through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will initiate rule-making to bar hospitals that participate in Medicare or Medicaid from offering puberty blockers, hormone therapy, or gender-affirming surgery to minors. Additionally, Medicaid funds would be prohibited from covering such care.
HHS plans to issue warnings to 12 companies marketing breast binders to minors, alleging illegal marketing practices related to these products.
A proposed update to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act would remove gender dysphoria from the definition of disability unless it is caused by a physical impairment.
These efforts are part of a broader Trump administration initiative to restrict transgender health care for both children and adults, including previous executive orders defining sex and restricting funds for hospitals providing transition-related care to minors.
An HHS review released in May concluded that the evidence on the effects of gender-affirming care for minors is "very low," a position that contrasts with the views of major US medical organizations.
The House of Representatives recently passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to criminalize parents and providers who give gender-affirming care to children under 18.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., cited as health secretary, stated that the administration will do everything possible to stop what it terms unsafe and irreversible practices and to protect children.
