More than a dozen prominent health systems across the United States have announced major policy changes regarding “sex-altering” procedures for minors, citing President Donald Trump’s recent executive order targeting what he calls “chemical and surgical mutilation” of children.

“We are not going to allow child sexual mutilation,” Trump stated during his campaign—a pledge he formalized with Executive Order 14187, signed January 28, 2025. The order prohibits federal funding for “sex-altering” surgery on minors and directs agencies to withdraw support for federally funded efforts that promote or facilitate the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another.

Following the order, a wave of hospitals and health systems have either suspended or terminated services related to so-called “gender-affirming care services” for patients under the age of 19.

Nationwide Rollback of Services

Here is a breakdown of facilities that have altered their protocols:

  • Yale New Haven Health and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center announced they will end all “gender-affirming care services.”

  • Phoenix Children’s Hospital ceased administering puberty blockers and hormone therapy to minors.

  • Stanford Medicine stopped performing “sex-altering” surgeries on minors.

  • Children’s Hospital Los Angeles closed its “Center for Transyouth Health and Development.”

  • Denver Health, UCHealth, and Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago ended “sex-altering” care or surgery for patients under 19.

  • UChicago Medicine, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and Rush Medical Center made similar moves, either halting surgeries or suspending care for new patients.

  • In New York City, Mount Sinai and New York-Presbyterian scaled back services for minors.

  • In Pennsylvania, three major health networks—Penn State Health, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and University of Pennsylvania Health System—ended services for those under 19.

  • The Hospital of Richmond at VCU Health, Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, and Seattle Children’s Hospital followed suit with full or partial suspensions.

  • Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. announced a pause on prescribing puberty blockers and hormone therapies for minors.

  • Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest health systems in the U.S., paused “sex-altering” surgeries for minors across all of its hospitals and surgical centers.

A New Policy Landscape

President Trump’s executive order frames these medical interventions as “destructive and life-altering procedures” and calls for vigorous enforcement of federal laws that limit or prohibit such practices. The administration’s position contrasts sharply with that of President Joe Biden’s administration, which supported expanded access to “gender-affirming” treatments for youth.

Proponents of the executive order argue that children are too young to consent to irreversible procedures and call the shift a return to medical responsibility. Critics, however, claim the policy infringes on parental rights and medical discretion.

The wave of hospital reversals marks a significant shift in the national debate, with Trump being the first U.S. president to take formal action resulting in widespread institutional policy change.

Texas Implications

Though none of the Texas-based hospitals were listed among those taking action this week, the Lone Star State has already passed legislation banning sex mutilation surgeries and “transgender” hormone treatments for minors, aligning state policy with the goals of the executive order.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton previously launched investigations into health providers offering such treatments to minors and has expressed support for Trump’s federal stance.