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US moves to ban gender surgeries for minors in federal programs
The US government has proposed new rules to prohibit gender-related surgeries and treatments for minors in hospitals that receive federal funding. The Department of Health and Human Services announced the plan on June 6, 2024, aiming to prevent what it calls "irreversible harm" to young people. The proposal includes restrictions on Medicaid and CHIP funding for such procedures.
"Our children deserve better—and we are delivering on that promise," said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Highlights
- The proposed rules would bar hospitals in Medicare and Medicaid programs from performing gender surgeries or related treatments on anyone under 18.
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will also seek to block federal funding for these procedures for minors.
- HHS officials say interventions like puberty blockers and surgery can cause lasting harm, including infertility and impaired development.
- The FDA has issued warnings to companies marketing breast binders for children, calling such practices illegal.
- The move reverses previous efforts to expand protections for gender dysphoria under federal disability law.
