The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced a series of proposed regulatory actions to implement President Trump’s executive order that seeks to end sex‑rejecting procedures on children. HHS defines these procedures as pharmaceutical or surgical interventions intended to align a child’s physical appearance or body with an asserted identity different from their sex, and warns that they can cause irreversible harm.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will issue a notice of proposed rulemaking that would bar hospitals from performing such procedures on anyone under 18 as a condition of participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs. Because nearly all U.S. hospitals participate in these programs, the rule is intended to ensure the federal government does not contract with organizations that inflict permanent harm on children. The authority for the rule comes from sections 1861(e)(9), 1871, and 1905(a) of the Social Security Act, which allow CMS to set standards that protect patient health and safety in Medicare‑ and Medicaid‑participating hospitals.
In addition, CMS will propose prohibiting federal Medicaid funding for sex‑rejecting procedures on children under 18 and restricting Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding for individuals under 19. Currently, 27 states do not provide Medicaid coverage for these procedures, which can cause irreversible damage such as infertility, impaired sexual function, diminished bone density, altered brain development, and other lasting physiological effects. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. stated that these procedures “do not meet professionally recognized standards of healthcare.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is also issuing warning letters to 12 manufacturers and retailers for illegally marketing breast binders to children for gender dysphoria. Moreover, HHS is moving to reverse the Biden administration’s attempt to include gender dysphoria in the definition of a disability.
Healthcare professionals have welcomed the proposed actions, emphasizing the need to protect children from experimental interventions that carry life‑altering risks with no reliable evidence of benefit. HHS highlighted that nearly 14,000 minors received sex‑rejecting procedures between 2019 and 2023, according to claims data, and cited its peer‑reviewed study, *Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices*, which outlines the medical dangers of these interventions.
The proposed regulations aim to align federal program standards with the responsibility to promote children’s health and safety and to prevent the government from contracting with entities that cause permanent harm. This development marks a significant shift in the ongoing debate over treating gender dysphoria in minors and is expected to have far‑reaching implications for healthcare providers, policymakers, and families across the United States.
Comments are closed for this story.