Health
Advocates Push Back Against Cuts to Gender-Affirming Care for Minors: ‘This Care Is Life-Saving’
Some local hospitals that have been on the forefront of providing gender-affirming care to patients under the age of 19 have pulled back on those services.
The move comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to stop federal support for gender-affirming care for young people.
Rach Washart, a student at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said the cuts would impact services such as puberty blockers and some surgeries such as mastectomies, the only procedure done on minors.
“Research has shown time and time again that access to this care is life-saving,” Washart said. “Young people, especially young trans people, really struggle with mental health and have very high rates of anxiety and depression. Numerous studies have shown that access to gender-affirming care — whether that’s hormones, surgical or even just a social support network of providers — can really reduce those rates and reduce the levels of suicidal intention, self-harm and adverse mental health outcomes.”
Channyn Lynne Parker, CEO of Brave Space Alliance and interim CEO for Equality Illinois, said both families and hospitals will be put at risk.
“For the young people who relied on that care — but also the families — it means that they’re going to be left with a void of service provision,” Parker said. “It means that the care providers who have provided care to these young people may also face repercussions whether that looks like legal charges, whether that looks like the potential of imprisonment, fining, so many things.”
Lurie Children’s Hospital announced in February it was no longer providing surgery for patients younger than 19.
Rush University Medical Center and UChicago Medicine also said they will cut some services for youth. Rush said in a statement that while it is pausing hormonal care services, it will refer patients to other programs for services it doesn’t provide.
“Rush has paused on offering hormonal care to new patients under the age of 18,” Rush University Medical Center said in a statement. “This decision was made in collaboration with our clinical leaders. Rush does not provide surgical treatment to patients under 18 years of age. Such surgeries for minors have not occurred at Rush since 2023. Rush continues to provide mental health, behavioral health and social services to gender care patients, regardless of age. … Our expert clinical team will provide more detailed information to patients and families based on their specific medical needs. Rush continues to be a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.”
