The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has unveiled a series of proposed regulatory actions aimed at banning sex-rejecting procedures on children, in line with President Trump’s executive order. The department said such interventions carry irreversible risks for young patients.
According to HHS, these procedures—including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical operations intended to alter a child’s physical appearance to match an asserted gender identity—can cause infertility, impaired sexual function, reduced bone density, altered brain development, and other lasting physiological effects.
Under the proposals, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would bar hospitals from performing sex-rejecting procedures on anyone under 18 as a condition for participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs. CMS will also propose prohibiting federal Medicaid funding for these procedures on minors under 18 and for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) on individuals under 19. HHS noted that nearly all U.S. hospitals participate in these programs.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., citing a peer-reviewed HHS report, said the procedures “do not meet professionally recognised standards of health care” and that practitioners performing them on minors would be deemed out of compliance. He emphasized the administration’s commitment to protecting children from “unsafe, irreversible practices.”
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz echoed the concern, stating that “children deserve our protection, not experimental interventions that carry life-altering risks with no reliable evidence of benefit.”
The FDA is also taking action, issuing warning letters to 12 manufacturers and retailers for illegally marketing breast binders to children, devices normally intended for post-mastectomy recovery. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary warned that further enforcement—including import alerts, seizures, and injunctions—would follow if illegal marketing persists.
Additionally, HHS is moving to reverse the Biden administration’s effort to classify gender dysphoria as a disability. Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill said the reversal would restore regulatory clarity and allow federally funded organizations to set evidence-based policies without fear of violating federal civil rights requirements.
Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brian Christine, M.D., noted that “evidence shows sex-rejecting puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries are dangerous,” and urged providers to base care on established medical standards.
HHS reported that nearly 14,000 minors received sex-rejecting procedures between 2019 and 2023, highlighting the scope of the interventions and the department’s concerns over their long-term health risks.
