HHS Orders Halt to Gender-Affirming Care for Minors

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has directed healthcare providers and state medical boards to halt puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries for minors with gender dysphoria, citing a new evidence review and referencing the UK Cass Review’s findings of significant risks and weak benefits. HHS is urging immediate updates to treatment protocols and training in response. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has begun examining hospital procedures and patient outcomes related to pediatric gender-affirming care, indicating possible new federal oversight. This federal policy shift aligns with recent state-level bans, such as Kansas’s, which is currently being challenged in court by the ACLU. Proponents of the bans argue they protect children from irreversible harm, while critics, including LGBTQ+ advocates and the ACLU, say such measures infringe on private medical decisions. The issue remains contentious as federal and state authorities intensify legal and regulatory scrutiny of gender-affirming care for minors.