Largest U.S. children’s hospital to stop transgender procedures

To comply with recent Texas legislation, the largest children’s hospital in the country will no longer provide transgender surgeries, hormones, or puberty blockers. According to an internal memo that writer and activist Christopher Rufo posted on Twitter, Texas Children's Hospital plans to refer some children out of state. Texas Children’s president and CEO Mark Wallace said in the memo that the hospital will comply with the law, but he called the change “heart-wrenching.” 

Why the change? Texas Senate Bill 14 protects minors from certain transgender procedures. Physicians may not remove healthy body parts, perform surgeries that sterilize children, or administer certain drugs that induce infertility. The bill includes some exceptions for treating medical problems not related to transgenderism. Healthcare providers who do not comply will lose public funding, and physicians performing illegal procedures will have their licenses revoked. SB 14 has passed in the House and Senate, and Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign it. 

Dig Deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report in Relations about other states’ attempts to limit harmful procedures for children.