Oregon Clinics Halt Gender-Affirming Surgeries for Minors as Trump Cracks Down on Trans Healthcare

Amid the threat by the U.S. Department of Justice that it will bring criminal charges against providers of gender-affirming surgeries and treatments, a hospital operating in two Oregon cities has confirmed that it will stop operating on minors from August 29.

Kaiser Permanente, the not-for-profit healthcare organization with clinics in Clackamas and Hillsboro, made the announcement earlier this week as the Trump administration’s decision to stop funding providers of transgender surgeries and treatments begins to take its toll nationwide.

Puberty-blocking drugs are among the gender-affirming treatments for minors, as well as hormone therapy and, less frequently, surgical procedures. People opposed to transgender treatments are concerned that minors lack the maturity to consent to treatments.

Shortly after taking office in January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order clamping down on federal funding of gender-affirming procedures and treatments for minors.

The Government Has Issued Subpoenas

Despite several lawsuits, the government has issued subpoenas to clinics and physicians that provide this type of care, and the U.S. Department of Justice has indicated that it could bring criminal charges against non-conformists.

These warnings have had sufficient impact to make several hospitals throughout the country shelve, or put on hold, transgender practices for young people under 19.

Oregon’s neighboring state, California, is among the hospitals toeing the federal line. The Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles has closed down one of the country’s largest and longest-serving transgender clinics.