President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week halting federal funding for changing “a child’s sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions” for minors under 19, including hormone therapies and surgeries.
It asserts that the U.S. will not sponsor or support gender transition procedures for children, labeling them as “chemical and surgical mutilation.”
“It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called “transition” of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures,” the order reads.
Today, it was my great honor to sign an Executive Order banning the chemical castration and medical mutilation of innocent children in the United States of America. Our Nation will no longer fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support so-called “gender affirming care,” which has…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 29, 2025
The executive order mandates that the Secretary of Health and Human Services create a plan within 90 days to promote the health of minors with gender dysphoria without resorting to radical treatments.
Additionally, the order directs the Attorney General to investigate potential fraud related to these treatments and establish a legal framework to limit their availability to minors.
Legal challenges to the executive order are expected as the debate over transgender rights continues to unfold.