Judge Brendan Hurson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland’s ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by six families with transgender children who allege the president’s order to restrict federal funding for gender-affirming care has compromised their healthcare. The American Association of Physicians for Human Rights is also a plaintiff in the case. In a hearing prior to the judge’s ruling, the government argued the lawsuit was premature, since federal agencies hadn’t yet carried out the order, The New York Times reported.
Under Mr. Hurson’s order, which lasts 14 days though may be extended, federal health agencies “are restrained from conditioning or withholding federal funding based on the fact that a healthcare entity or health professional provides gender affirming medical care to a patient under the age of nineteen.”
Three more notes:
- The federal ruling comes after President Trump’s Jan. 28 executive order, which directed federal agencies to halt education grants and research dollars for hospitals and medical schools that provide gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, to those under the age of 19. It also directed HHS to explore regulatory changes to exclude coverage of such care under Medicare, Medicaid and the ACA.
- In the days following the executive order, several hospitals, including Richmond, Va.-based VCU Health and Denver Health paused care for transgender youth under the age of 19 as they assessed effects of the order, citing concerns over risks to participation in federal health programs.
- At the time, Children’s National Hospital, based in Washington, D.C., stated it would pause all puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender youth, though a spokesperson told Becker’s the hospital already did not perform gender-affirming surgery.
- At least one health system, Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Corewell Health, which had previously halted gender care for minors, has since resumed care. On Feb. 12, the health system reversed its pause, saying it will resume hormone therapy for pediatric patients that have been approved by physicians and family members, according to local news outlets.