Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation: A New Executive Order
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at restricting access to gender-affirming medical care for minors, defines as those younger than 19. The order, titled “Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” targets puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgery, and prohibits federal funding from covering such care for minors.
The order also restricts research and education grants to medical schools and hospitals, and directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue regulations to end such care for minors. Additionally, the order requires federal agencies to rescind guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), a nonprofit organization dedicated to transgender medical care.
The order labels the transition-related medical care for minors as “maiming and sterilizing” and claims that more children will regret receiving such care and be left with “lifelong medical complications” and sterilization. It also argues that transition-related care is “destructive and life-altering” and that it is not backed by scientific evidence.
In response, Lambda Legal, an LGBTQ legal advocacy group, has vowed to fight the executive order, stating that it “condemns transgender youth to extreme and unnecessary pain and suffering” and denies them access to the same medically recommended healthcare available to others.
The American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychological Association have all expressed support for access to transition care for minors. Studies have shown that transition-related care improves mental health and reduces suicide rates for minors. However, the order takes aim at WPATH, labeling it as having “lacks scientific integrity” and directing the Secretary of HHS to publish a review of the existing literature on best practices for promoting the health of children who assert gender dysphoria or other identity-based confusion.