Children’s Minnesota announced Tuesday that it plans to temporarily stop prescribing puberty-blocking drugs and hormones to minors seeking so-called “gender-affirming care.” The hospital said its decision was in response to “an increase in federal actions.”
In a statement, Children’s Minnesota said recent federal actions “jeopardize the stability of Minnesota’s only comprehensive pediatric health care system, and they threaten our clinicians’ ability to practice medicine now and in the future.”
As such, the hospital said that it plans to temporarily stop prescribing puberty-blocking drugs and hormones like estrogen and testosterone to children on Feb. 27 if the situation does not change. The hospital does not perform sex change surgeries on minors.
Despite its decision to suspend certain sex-rejecting procedures, Children’s said “our Gender Health program is not closed. We continue to provide supportive care, mental health services and guidance regarding medical and non-medical treatment options.”
Children’s Minnesota did not say what federal action led to its decision. However, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced late last year that it was working to cut off federal funding to hospitals that engage in sex-rejecting procedures.
“Under my leadership, and answering President Trump’s call to action, the federal government will do everything in its power to stop unsafe, irreversible practices that put our children at risk,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at the time.
Reacting to Tuesday’s news, a group of LGBT state legislators said they are “deeply saddened and upset that this moment has come. Any loss of access to healthcare in Minnesota–even temporarily—is unacceptable.”
Last week, a New York jury found a surgeon and psychologist liable for malpractice in connection with a double mastectomy that was performed on 16-year-old Fox Varian in 2019. Varian, who has since detransitioned, was awarded $2 million in damages.
The case reportedly represents the first time in U.S. history that a detransitioner successfully sued a doctor for malpractice related to a sex change procedure.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
