One of the country’s leading hospital networks, Kaiser Permanente, announced a pause on gender transition surgeries for those under the age of 19.
“As the legal and regulatory environment for gender-affirming care continues to evolve, we must carefully consider the significant risks being created for health systems, clinicians, and patients under the age of 19 seeking this care,” the hospital system said in a statement obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle. “After significant deliberation and consultation with internal and external experts including our physicians, we’ve made the difficult decision to pause surgical treatment for patients under the age of 19 in our hospitals and surgical centers.”
“We continue to meet with regulators as well as our clinicians, patients, their families and the community with the goal of identifying a responsible path forward,” the hospital added. “We recognize this is an extremely challenging and stressful time for our patients seeking care, as well as for our clinicians whose mission is to care for them. We will work closely with each patient to support their care journey.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo in April directing those at the Justice Department to enforce a law making transgender surgeries illegal.
“I am putting medical practitioners, hospitals and clinics on notice: In the United States, it is a felony to perform, attempt to perform or conspire to perform female genital mutilation (‘FGM’) on any person under the age of 18,” Bondi’s memo said. “That crime carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years per count. I am directing all U.S. Attorneys to investigate all suspected cases of FGM — under the banner of so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ or otherwise — and to prosecute all FGM offenses to the fullest extent possible.”
