Virginia medical center ceases gender-affirming care for minors after Trump’s executive order

Trans rights have been under attack, which could lead to discrimination and harm for trans people. (Getty)
Following President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting transgender Americans’ access to health care, one major medical center in Virginia has suspended gender-affirming care for patients under 19.
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health and Children’s Hospital joins the Children’s National Hospital in Washington D.C and Denver Health in Colorado that have halted this type of care following the anti-trans policy.
The executive order, signed on Tuesday January 28, is one of the president’s latest attacks on trans rights and seeks to protect “children from chemical and surgical mutilation”.
The directive threatens to remove funding from any institutions that provide gender-affirming care, rescind guidance supporting transgender healthcare, and aims to cut insurance coverage for trans-related treatments under federal employee health plans.
VCU told The Advocate that they have “suspended gender-affirming medication and gender-affirming surgical procedures for those under 19 years old in response to a White House executive order and clear guidance from the state”.
“We are committed to ensuring that we’re always delivering care in accordance with the law. Appointments will be maintained to discuss specific care options for patients in compliance with the most recent guidance,” the hospital continued.
This is despite the fact gender-affirming care for minors remains legal in Virginia and other states, as the executive order does not explicitly ban gender-affirming care but it pushes hospitals nationwide to abandon the treatments by taking away federal support and introducing legal risks.
Wyatt Rolla, a senior attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia told The Advocate that the order is simply “trying to scare providers into halting the critical services they’ve provided for years.”
“Trump’s executive order is simply another misguided, extreme attempt to will trans people out of existence,” Rolla said.
Gender-affirming care is widely considered safe, effective, and medically necessary, with the American Medical Association supporting its use as research shows it reduces depression, anxiety, and suicide risk.
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