President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at curtailing gender transition procedures for individuals under the age of 19.
Titled the “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” the order directs federal agencies to defund and oppose medical interventions Trump called “irreversible and destructive.”
“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,” the White House’s official readout of the action states.
Defunding transgender procedures
The executive order directs federal agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to withdraw funding for any institution that provides transgender procedures to minors. Specifically, the order defines “chemical and surgical mutilation” as the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries to alter a child’s physical appearance or reproductive anatomy.
The directive requires HHS to immediately begin rescinding policies based on guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), which Trump’s administration criticized as lacking “scientific integrity.” Within 90 days, the department must publish a review of medical literature on treating gender dysphoria in minors and issue new guidance aimed at ending the practice.
Federally run insurance programs, such as TRICARE and Medicaid, are also ordered to exclude coverage for these procedures. The order further directs the Office of Personnel Management to ensure federal employee health plans eliminate coverage for pediatric transgender surgeries and hormone treatments by 2026.
Legal Enforcement and Federal Action
The order tasks the Justice Department with enforcing existing laws, including prioritizing prosecutions under laws against female genital mutilation, which the administration says align with the broader goal of protecting children from harmful medical practices. It also calls for investigations into alleged fraud and deception by medical providers regarding the long-term effects of transgender procedures for minors.
Additionally, the DOJ is directed to draft legislation allowing children and parents to sue healthcare providers for damages resulting from gender transition procedures, with the inclusion of a lengthy statute of limitations.
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The order also takes aim at so-called “sanctuary states” that allow custody changes to facilitate access to transgender procedures, calling for enforcement of federal laws such as the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act.
The executive order follows recent Supreme Court arguments in United States v. Skrmetti, where the justices appeared poised to uphold a Tennessee law banning puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors, with supporters arguing it protects children from unproven and harmful treatments.
