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yesterday

Kaiser Permanente Pauses Gender-Affirming Surgeries for Under-19 Patients

Pressure from federal agencies including the White House, CMS, FTC and DOJ prompted Kaiser Permanente to stop gender-affirming surgeries for under-19 patients starting August 29.

FILE: The sign on the exterior of the Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center is visible on Sept. 8, 2023, in Vallejo, Calif.
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Overview

  • Kaiser Permanente will halt all gender-affirming surgeries for minors nationwide beginning August 29, while continuing hormone therapy and puberty blockers.
  • The nonprofit cited evolving executive orders, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services inquiries, Federal Trade Commission reviews and Department of Justice subpoenas as the catalyst for its decision.
  • Stanford Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Connecticut Children’s and Yale New Haven Health have likewise suspended or reduced under-19 gender-affirming services in recent weeks.
  • Major medical associations and nursing unions decried the pause as political interference in clinical care, warning it could harm transgender youth mental health.
  • Advocacy organizations and state officials are pursuing legal and legislative measures to safeguard minors’ access to gender-affirming treatments.