New York hospitals must continue trans care despite executive order, says state attorney general
New York Attorney General Letitia.
New York attorney general Letitia James has advised hospitals to continue providing trans healthcare, despite Donald Trump’s executive order.
Soon after taking office, Trump signed an executive order restricting trans healthcare for individuals under the age of 19.
The order, Protecting Children From Chemical And Surgical Mutilation, reads: “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.”
But on Monday (3 February), James told hospitals that they would be in violation of New York’s anti-discrimination laws if they stop offering trans healthcare.
In a letter to hospitals, James wrote: “Regardless of the availability of federal funding, we… remind you of your obligations to comply with New York State laws.”
Her letter followed some hospitals in Colorado, Virginia and Washington DC pausing gender-affirming care for young people while the order is evaluated.
Research last year showed that transgender youngsters rarely regret undergoing gender-affirming care. And a study in 2022 for the Stanford University School of Medicine revealed that positive mental health outcomes were higher for trans men and women who were able to access gender-affirming care as teenagers, rather than in their adult years.
LGBTQ+ advocacy organisation GLAAD has warned that Trump’s “obsession” with implementing anti-trans executive orders will “come at a cost for every American”.
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