Children’s Minnesota announced it plans to temporarily pause prescribing puberty-suppressing medications and pubertal hormones (estrogen and testosterone) for patients under age 18 in its Gender Health program, effective Friday, February 27, 2026. The hospital cited “an increase in federal actions directed at pediatric health systems like ours that provide this care.” The move follows a December proposal from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that would prohibit hospitals from providing pharmaceutical or surgical interventions as gender-affirming care or risk losing Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Children’s Minnesota stressed its Gender Health program is not closing and will still provide “supportive care, mental health services and guidance regarding both medical and non-medical treatment options for our patients and their families.” The hospital stated: “This is not the decision we wanted to make. This is the decision we had to make to protect our hospital and our providers,” while asserting that “gender affirming care is evidence-based, safe and lifesaving for transgender and gender diverse youth.”
Political and Legal Context
The announcement came in context of Trump administration actions attacking transgender care. One of President Trump’s first actions in his second term was an executive order stating the U.S. “will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support” gender-affirming care. The Minnesota Queer Legislators Caucus responded that the Trump administration is “forcing specialized medical professionals and hospitals into an impossible position,” adding that “Gender affirming care for patients of all ages is still legal in Minnesota.” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he is awaiting a hearing on a lawsuit against Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s declaration banning gender-affirming care for children and expressed confidence the judge will rule in Minnesota’s favor.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/childrens-minnesota-pausing-some-gender-affirming-care-for-children/