Chicago’s prestigious Lurie Children’s Hospital announced it will no longer start gender-affirming medications for children and teens under age 18 who have not previously been treated at the hospital. The policy change follows a federal threat of investigation and enforcement actions from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) tied to ongoing federal efforts to limit gender-transition treatments for minors.
Lurie Children’s Hospital said it will pause initiating puberty blockers and hormone therapies for new pediatric patients under 18, citing “pending Federal court rulings” and the “rapidly evolving legal landscape” as reasons for the decision. The pause applies to new cases; youths who previously received such treatments at the hospital are not affected.
The announcement comes after HHS signaled a potential investigation into several U.S. hospitals over their gender-affirming care practices for minors, a move widely linked to enforcement of policies under President Trump aimed at restricting such treatments. HHS’s general counsel publicly stated that procedures perceived as “sex-rejecting” and causing “permanent harm” to children would draw scrutiny.
Hospital officials framed their updated stance as a response to federal legal and regulatory pressures, rather than a standalone medical decision. According to reporting, the hospital paused these interventions because of the threat of federal action that could jeopardize its participation in Medicare and Medicaid or expose it to legal risks.
This shift at Lurie Children’s occurs amid broader national developments. Federal agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services have announced proposals and regulatory efforts intended to limit access to gender-affirming care for minors, arguing that scientific support for such treatments in youth remains uncertain. These actions reflect administration priorities to restrict gender-transition medical interventions for children.
The move has drawn pushback from advocacy groups, who argue that hospitals are being pressured into restricting care out of fear of federal reprisal before any definitive enforcement action or new law takes effect. Critics say the result is “fear and uncertainty” for families seeking care and that major medical organizations support gender-affirming care when clinically appropriate.
Independent of Lurie’s change, some hospitals across the country have also scaled back or paused similar treatments for minors in recent months, reflecting the changing legal environment and federal policy focus on penalizing providers that offer gender-affirming care to children and teens.
