Federal authorities under Trump's administration are examining whether healthcare providers are informing patients about potential risks associated with transgender treatment.
In a significant turn of events, many U.S. hospitals have curtailed or ceased gender-affirming care for minors, largely due to federal policy restrictions and enforcement actions initiated under President Donald Trump's administration.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced an investigation on Monday, with a deadline for consumer concerns on September 26, focusing on potential deceptive trade practices relating to gender-related treatment. The investigation comes as a response to concerns that medical professionals may have violated sections of the FTC Act.
The Trump administration's pushback on transgender care for minors has been relentless. Executive Order 14187, signed in January 2025, restricted federal funding and legal protections for gender-affirming care for minors and rejected gender identity concepts. Hospitals providing such care risk losing federal funds.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has investigated providers, issuing over 20 subpoenas to clinics and doctors providing gender-affirming care to minors and threatening legal action for what it views as misleading the public on risks.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has requested detailed information from select hospitals about their gender-affirming care policies and federal reimbursements, increasing scrutiny that has caused hospitals to reconsider offering these services.
As a result, hospitals like Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU and several other academic medical centers and hospital systems have ceased or limited gender-affirming care for patients under 19. This trend is not limited to conservative states but includes traditionally LGBTQ+ supportive states as well.
The discontinuation of gender-affirming medications at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., will take effect on Aug. 30. The Health and Human Services (HHS), under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s leadership, is skeptical of transgender care, contributing to the ongoing scrutiny.
Despite the discontinuation of gender transition-related medical interventions, mental health and other support services for LGBT patients remain available at Children's National. The study highlights risks associated with gender-related treatments, including irreversible infertility, sexual dysfunction, reduced bone density, adverse cognitive impacts, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, psychiatric disorders, surgical complications, and regret.
The ongoing federal oversight has resulted in a nationwide trend of rolling back services due to compliance concerns, funding threats, and DOJ investigations. Despite some federal court blocks on enforcement of these orders, the overall environment remains hostile enough that providers have widely scaled back or ended these services out of caution.
President Donald Trump's administration has continued to campaign against transgender care for minors and the participation of biological males in women's sports. The HHS review on transgender care involves a debate on medical ethics surrounding medical interventions for children and teens with gender dysphoria. The review was conducted by a team of medical doctors, medical ethicists, and a methodologist, with contributors representing a wide range of political viewpoints and chosen for their commitment to scientific principles.
This news underscores the need for a balanced approach to healthcare policy, ensuring that all patients, including minors, receive appropriate care while also addressing concerns about potential risks and ethical considerations.
- The investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) involves potential deceptive trade practices related to gender-related treatments, a response to concerns that medical professionals may have violated sections of the FTC Act.
- The Trump administration's pushback on transgender care for minors has expanded to include a review on transgender care by the Health and Human Services (HHS), involving a team of medical professionals, medical ethicists, and a methodologist.
- CBD, a topic not directly mentioned in the original text, is often associated with health and wellness, and as such, the implications of federal policy restrictions on gender-affirming care could potentially extend to other areas of health-and-wellness, including mental health and therapies-and-treatments.
- The ongoing debates on medical ethics surrounding medical interventions for children and teens with gender dysphoria have also sparked discussions in the realms of politics and policy-and-legislation, with various politicians expressing their views on the matter.
- The general news coverage of the discontinuation of gender-affirming care has brought attention to crime-and-justice issues related to medical professionals who may have violated patient rights or engaged in dishonest practices regarding these treatments.
