Yale, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center restrict ‘gender-affirming care’ for minors 

Yale New Haven Health will no longer provide medication as part of its so-called gender-affirming care services for people under 20, CT Mirror reports.

The announcement came a day after Connecticut Children’s Medical Center said it was “winding down” its so-called gender-affirming care program. Both hospitals were the state’s leading providers of such services for minors.

The school’s health center made its decision after “carefully monitoring federal executive orders and administrative actions” related to such services, a Yale spokesman said.

“This decision was not made lightly,” the health system said. “We are aware of the profound impact that this decision will have on the patients treated in this program, as well as their families. We are committed to offering transitional support as the medication treatment component of the pediatric gender-affirming care program winds down, and our providers will continue to provide mental health and other health care services to these patients in a compassionate care environment.”

One of President Donald Trump’s January executive orders banned federal support for procedures attempting to transition children from one sex to another. The order called them “chemical and surgical mutilation” and condemned the lifelong medical complications and infertility they often cause.

Gov. Ned Lamont responded to Connecticut Children’s decision Wednesday.

“It’s disappointing for hospitals in Connecticut to be forced to make the difficult decision to end gender-affirming care for minors in response to the federal executive order,” the Democrat said. “These decisions are not based on Connecticut values or Connecticut law – they [are] part of a series of relentless federal demands that have created fear, confusion, and legal uncertainty for our healthcare providers.”

The governor’s administration will meet with Yale and “evaluate what we’re able to do,” a spokesperson for his office said. 

Connecticut Republican Party Chair Ben Proto called the decision to close such services a “responsible and prudent course” and said it “raises important questions.”

“Life-altering, irreversible medical interventions of this nature should be made by individuals who have reached an age and level of development where they can make informed, thoughtful decisions for themselves,” Proto said. “In taking this step, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center has chosen a responsible and prudent course, and I am confident they will continue to deliver the exceptional care they have provided to Connecticut’s children for decades.”

Currently, 27 states restrict so-called gender-affirming care for children.