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New York Attorney General Letitia James has reaffirmed that hospitals in the state must continue providing transgender healthcare despite an executive order signed by Donald Trump restricting such care for minors.

Shortly after returning to office, Trump signed the Protecting Children From Chemical And Surgical Mutilation order, which limits access to gender-affirming care for individuals under 19. The order states:

“It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures.”

However, on Monday (3 February), James issued a letter to hospitals across New York, warning that refusing to provide transgender healthcare would violate the state’s anti-discrimination laws.

“Regardless of the availability of federal funding, we… remind you of your obligations to comply with New York State laws,” James wrote.

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Her statement came in response to reports that some hospitals in Colorado, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., had paused gender-affirming care for young people while assessing the implications of the executive order.

Research consistently supports the benefits of gender-affirming care for transgender youth. A study conducted in 2022 by Stanford University School of Medicine found that trans men and women who accessed gender-affirming care as teenagers had better mental health outcomes than those who waited until adulthood. Additionally, research from last year indicated that transgender minors rarely regret receiving such care.

LGBTQ+ advocacy group GLAAD has criticised Trump’s ongoing push for anti-trans policies, warning that his “obsession” with restricting transgender rights will have consequences for all Americans.

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