On Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Brendan Hurson temporarily halted the enforcement of former President Donald Trump’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. His ruling prevents federal agencies from withholding funds from healthcare providers who offer medical treatments for transgender youth under 19. The decision marks a significant legal challenge to Trump’s executive order, which sought to restrict access to such care by cutting federal funding.
Legal Actions and Immediate Court Orders
In his ruling, Judge Hurson ordered the Department of Health and Human Services and its subsidiary agencies to immediately notify all relevant departments about the restraining order. Additionally, any federal funds that had been withheld due to Trump’s ban must now be disbursed. This move ensures that medical institutions providing gender-affirming care are not financially penalized while legal battles continue.
Judge Halts Trump’s Ban on Gender-Affirming Care, Keeping Federal Funds IntactThe lawsuit against the Trump administration was spearheaded by PFLAG, a national organization advocating for LGBTQ+ rights. PFLAG argued that the executive order violated constitutional protections by discriminating against transgender youth based on sex and gender identity. The organization highlighted the case of a 14-year-old who suffered harm when a hospital in Washington, D.C., stopped providing necessary medications for gender dysphoria due to funding concerns.
Trump’s Executive Order and Its Objectives
Trump signed the executive order “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” on January 28, outlining a federal policy against funding gender-affirming care for minors. The order explicitly barred government support for treatments such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgical procedures for transgender youth. Trump justified the policy by arguing that such treatments were harmful and should not be promoted or financially backed by federal institutions.
Beyond cutting funding to medical providers, the executive order also restricted federal healthcare programs, including Medicaid, TRICARE, and the Defense Department’s healthcare system, from covering gender-affirming treatments for minors.
Trump’s administration had also previously signed another order limiting federal support for gender ideology, reinforcing a strict male-female binary. With Judge Hurson’s ruling, these policies are now temporarily blocked, allowing for continued legal challenges and advocacy efforts to protect transgender healthcare rights.