The Trump administration's recent policies regarding gender-affirming care reflect a commitment to protecting children, upholding parental rights, and ensuring that healthcare decisions are grounded in biological reality and sound medical science. These measures are designed to address growing concerns about the potential long-term effects of gender-affirming treatments on minors and to safeguard the integrity of healthcare systems. The focus is on prioritizing caution, promoting thorough evaluation, and respecting the fundamental distinctions between sex and gender.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is finalizing a new rule that would restrict Medicaid and Medicare payments to health systems providing gender-affirming care to patients under the age of 18, including treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. This policy is based on the premise that such treatments may have irreversible consequences and that more research is needed to fully understand their long-term impact on children's physical and mental health. The HHS argues that these treatments should be approached with caution and that parents should have the right to make informed decisions about their children's healthcare. The HHS would also bar federal programs, including Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), from covering such care. This measure seeks to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to fund treatments that lack sufficient scientific evidence and that may pose risks to children's well-being.

In response to the administration's policies, some clinics, including Mount Sinai, NYU Langone, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, and University of Utah Health, have reportedly ended their pediatric gender-affirming care programs. This development underscores the growing recognition of the uncertainties surrounding these treatments and the need for a more cautious approach. The Trump administration has also announced a policy to discontinue gender-affirming healthcare for transgender individuals in correctional facilities. Under this policy, transgender inmates will be denied access to clothing and toiletries that do not align with their assigned sex at birth, and those currently receiving hormone therapy will be required to discontinue treatment. The administration argues that gender identity is “disconnected from biological reality and sex” and “does not provide a meaningful basis for identification.” This position reflects a commitment to upholding traditional understandings of sex and gender and to ensuring that correctional facilities are managed in a safe and orderly manner.

Critics of the administration's policies argue that they are discriminatory and harmful to transgender individuals. However, proponents of the policies maintain that they are necessary to protect children, uphold parental rights, and ensure that healthcare decisions are based on sound medical science and ethical principles. Jey McCreight, founder of Beyond X&Y, a human genomics expert, has criticized the administration's policies, claiming that Trump officials “don’t actually understand the science at all.” However, the administration's policies are supported by many scientists and medical professionals who believe that more research is needed to fully understand the long-term effects of gender-affirming treatments on children and adolescents. The HHS order referred to gender-affirming care as “sex-rejecting procedures,” a phrase that originated with a conservative religious group. While some find this language controversial, it reflects a concern about the potential for these treatments to alter or reject the biological realities of sex. The administration's policies are intended to promote responsible healthcare practices, protect vulnerable populations, and uphold traditional values. By prioritizing caution, parental rights, and scientific integrity, these measures seek to ensure that healthcare decisions are made in the best interests of individuals and society as a whole.