Tipsheet

To the Democrats' Dismay, the List of Hospitals Ending 'Gender-Affirming Surgeries' for Minors Grows

Following a $2 million lawsuit victory from detransitioner Fox Varian, doctors, hospitals, and medical associations have begun walking back their previous policies on performing "gender-affirming surgeries" on minors. Both the American Medical Association (AMA), which once championed the practice, and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) now recommend waiting until patients are 19 years old before performing such procedures.

Now, dozens of hospitals have decided to end the practice, too.

According to Fox News, this list includes Children's Minnesota, the University of Utah, Multicare Mary Bridge Children's in Washington, Rady's Children's Health and Sutter Health in California, Lurie Children's and UI in Illinois, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and UW Health, Children's Hospital Colorado and Denver Health, Fenway Health and Outer Cape Health Services in Massachusetts, Corewell Health and University of Michigan Health, VA Commonwealth University Health, CT Children's Medical Center, and Nemours Children's Hospital in Delaware.

Dr. Ira Savetsky, a New York plastic surgeon, also joined Fox News to talk about this sea change in gender medicine. "I can only imagine what the parents were going through. I mean, they're told that their child is going to kill themselves if they don't have these surgeries. They're pressured, and what are you supposed to do? You try everything to do the right thing for your child," he said.

"As physicians, we're supposed to follow evidence-based medicine, and so much of the data did not show that what we're doing is the right thing," Savetsky added.

This is also in response to President Trump's executive order threatening to withhold federal funding from hospitals that continue to perform these surgeries. Democrats, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, have vowed to fight that order and said the hospitals have to follow the law, not the president's orders. New York City Mayor Mamdani also vowed $65 million for public providers to help transition minors.

Fox News also reports that the New York Civil Liberties Union is disturbed that NYU Langone also ended "gender-affirming care" for minors, but Langone said it would continue the mental health services and support, however.

Democrats now have a choice: in the wake of one massive lawsuit, and with dozens more having been filed by detransitioners, do they continue to force hospitals to provide "gender-affirming care" to minors, or do they actually follow the science and support these hospitals in their decision to protect children from life-altering decisions?