Judge blocks Trump's order on gender transition care for minors
FILE-Transgender rights supporters take part in a rally outside the Supreme Court. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
A judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s recent executive order to restrict gender-affirming health care for transgender individuals under 19 years old.
Thursday’s ruling follows a lawsuit filed in early February on behalf of families with transgender or nonbinary children claiming their health care was already diminished by Trump’s order.
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Citing the lawsuit, the Associated Press noted that it alleges the policy is discriminatory because it allows federal funds to cover the same treatments when they’re not used for gender transition.
The AP reported that Judge Brendan Hurson granted the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order after a hearing in federal court in Baltimore. The ruling, in effect for 14 days, puts Trump’s executive order on hold while the case proceeds. The restraining order could also be extended.
What they're saying:
Trump's executive order "seems to deny that this population even exists, or deserves to exist," Hurson said.
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Attorneys for the plaintiffs argue Trump's executive order is "unlawful and unconstitutional" because it seeks to withhold federal funds previously authorized by Congress and because it violates anti-discrimination laws while infringing on the rights of parents, the AP noted.
What is Trump’s order on gender transition care for minors?
The backstory:
President Donald Trump signed an executive order after taking office directing federally run insurance programs to exclude coverage for gender-affirming care. That includes Medicaid, which covers such services in some states, and TRICARE for military families. Trump’s order also called on the Justice Department to pursue litigation and legislation to oppose the practice.
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The AP reported that Trump has used strong language to combat gender-affirming care, claiming falsely that "medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child’s sex."
Some hospitals paused gender-affirming care, including prescriptions for puberty blockers and hormone therapy, while they assess how the order affects them, the AP noted.