President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order on Monday banning the use of federal funds for gender-affirming medical treatments for minors, calling the procedures “barbaric” and pledging to cut off financial support for institutions that provide them.
The order, titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” prohibits the use of puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and gender-transition surgeries for individuals under 19 within any federally funded medical facility. It also directs federal agencies to rescind reliance on medical guidelines supporting such treatments and to withdraw funding from institutions that offer them.
What the Order Does
Trump’s directive takes broad action across multiple government agencies to restrict gender-affirming care:
- Defunds Gender-Affirming Treatments – Medical institutions receiving federal research grants, including hospitals and universities, must cease providing puberty blockers, hormone therapies, or surgeries for minors or risk losing funding.
- Ends Insurance Coverage – Federal employee health programs, Medicaid, Medicare, and TRICARE (which covers military families) will no longer reimburse or provide coverage for gender-transition procedures for minors.
- Revises Medical Guidelines – The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must review and replace policies based on guidance from organizations like the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), which the order claims lacks scientific credibility.
- Increases Legal Scrutiny – The Department of Justice (DOJ) is instructed to investigate medical providers performing these treatments and consider legal actions against them, including potential fraud or consumer deception claims.
- Protects Parental Rights – The administration is exploring measures to prevent states from overriding parental decisions regarding a child’s gender identity, including legal action against jurisdictions that facilitate gender-affirming care for minors.
Trump’s Justification
In a post on Truth Social, Trump celebrated the move, writing:
“Today, it was my great honor to sign an Executive Order banning the chemical castration and medical mutilation of innocent children in the United States of America. Our Nation will no longer fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support so-called ‘gender-affirming care,’ which has already ruined far too many precious lives.”
The executive order marks one of the most aggressive federal actions against gender-affirming care for minors and aligns with broader conservative efforts in Republican-led states to ban such treatments.
What’s Next?
The order is expected to face legal challenges from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and medical organizations that argue gender-affirming care is critical for transgender youth. Critics warn the policy could lead to increased mental health struggles for minors denied treatment, while supporters argue it protects children from irreversible medical procedures.
While the directive applies to federal funding, states that support gender-affirming care may seek ways to continue offering treatment through non-federal sources. However, with the DOJ prioritizing legal action, medical providers who continue to offer these treatments could face heightened scrutiny.
As the policy takes effect, the debate over gender-affirming care for minors is likely to intensify, setting the stage for a legal and political battle over the future of transgender healthcare in America.
