Health
Lurie Children’s Hospital Pauses Gender-Affirming Surgeries for Patients Under 19 Following Trump’s Executive Order
File photo of Lurie Children's Hospital. (WTTW News)
Lurie Children’s Hospital has paused gender-affirming surgeries for patients under the age of 19, according to a statement from the hospital on Monday.
The move comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to stop federal support for gender-affirming care for young people.
“We have made the difficult decision to pause gender care surgeries within the gender care program for all patients under the age of 19 as we work to understand the rapidly evolving environment,” according to a statement from Lurie Children’s Hospital.
“At this time, we are continuing to provide other care and treatment plans for the program’s patients, as we monitor further developments on this issue,” the statement continued.
Trump’s executive order, signed on Jan. 28, aims to halt federal funding for the purpose of medical institutions and hospitals providing gender-affirming care to individuals under 19. The order targets surgical procedures, hormone therapy and medications that delay puberty.
Lurie Children’s Hospital will continue to provide hormone therapy and puberty blockers, a hospital spokesperson confirmed, and specifically noted mental health care will also continue as part of the hospital’s gender care program.
The announcement from Lurie’s Children’s Hospital that it would pause gender-affirming surgeries, first reported on Friday, comes after Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition of attorneys general to reaffirm last week that they would protect access and federal funding for gender-affirming care.
“Federal funding to institutions that provide gender-affirming care continues to be available, irrespective of President Trump’s recent executive order,” according to a coalition statement. “If the federal administration takes additional action to impede this critical funding, we will not hesitate to take further legal action.”
In a statement, Raoul referenced the Human Rights Act in Illinois, which requires health care providers to provide health care to all residents and prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of sex and gender identity.
Last week, a federal court lawsuit was filed in Maryland against Trump’s executive order. The lawsuit was filed by the LGBTQ+ family support organization PFLAG and the LGBTQ+ health professionals’ organization GLMA.
Among the written testimonies in the lawsuit was a declaration filed by an Illinois mother who alleges that her teenage son’s gender-affirming chest surgery at UI Health was canceled a day after Trump’s executive order was signed.
“The surgeon called to tell me that, because the hospital was worried about losing millions of dollars in funding, the hospital would not allow them to proceed with my son’s surgery later that month,” according to the Illinois mother’s declaration.
Last week, supporters of gender-affirming care gathered at the University of Illinois Hospital on the Near West Wide to call on UI Health to be clearer and more transparent about its commitment to providing gender-affirming care.
A UI Health spokesperson said in a statement last week that UI Health is committed to providing inclusive care to the community. “We will continue to provide gender-affirming care to transgender patients in accordance with the laws,” the statement read.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: @eunicealpasan | 773-509-5362 | [email protected]
