Uncharted Territory: Kids' Hospitals Pause Gender Care

Many parents and their transgender children are now facing a difficult situation. A major hospital in Los Angeles stopped accepting new patients for a specific kind of treatment. This treatment was for kids and young people called hormone therapy. This therapy helps transgender people's bodies match their gender identity. There are many reasons why parents and doctors use this therapy. It can help young people who feel very unhappy with their bodies. This issue is very important because transgender people can start as young as 13. The hospital paused the gender care after the new president signed an executive order. This order had a big impact on the hospital. It made it hard for them to offer the care needed for transgender youth. Official from the hospital said it was necessary to stop the care because of the new rules. This means young people who were waiting for the treatment will have to wait longer. This decision affected the hospital that was the largest provider of gender care for youth. The biggest hospital that cares for transgender youth has paused their services. In the meantime, young people who are already getting the treatment will still receive it. This means the hospital has not stopped all care. The hospital just does not have the resources to take in new patients. The order by the new president is pretty serious. It does not only apply this hospital. Many other hospitals that receive government money are also affected. The order will seriously affect the health care that is available for transgender patients. The order includes things like puberty blockers and surgeries. Medical professionals are now having trouble performing these treatments. The hospital needs to wait for more information to start accepting new patients. The decision to pause the care has caused outrage among many. There is a lot of concern that this will affect the mental health of transgender youth. The pause means that there is more attention needed on this topic. People are now questioning if the order is strictly necessary. The order has caused a lot of discussion. Many people are wondering what comes next in the future of trans care.