Trump targets ‘chemical and surgical mutilation’ of children in latest executive order
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday banning any federal funding or support for ‘chemical and surgical mutilation’ of children under 19.
“[I]t is the policy of the United…

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday banning any federal funding or support for ‘chemical and surgical mutilation’ of children under 19.
“[I]t 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 order reads.
The order targets “gender-affirming care,” including puberty blockers, sex hormones, and surgical procedures for gender transitions, citing the “blatant harm done to children by chemical and surgical mutilation cloaks itself in medical necessity.”
Federal agencies are also instructed to “rescind or amend all policies that rely on” the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), which has been widely criticized for promoting shoddy research on gender dysphoria. The order calls such research “junk science.”
The order tasks the secretary of health and human services to produce a literature review on “best practices” for treating minors with gender dysphoria going forward.
“This dangerous trend will be a stain on our Nation’s history, and it must end,” the order states. “Countless children soon regret that they have been mutilated and begin to grasp the horrifying tragedy that they will never be able to conceive children of their own or nurture their children through breastfeeding.
“Moreover, these vulnerable youths’ medical bills may rise throughout their lifetimes, as they are often trapped with lifelong medical complications, a losing war with their own bodies, and, tragically, sterilization.”