2 Colorado Hospitals Stop Sex Change Drugs for Minors

Two Colorado hospitals have stopped giving gender reassignment drugs to minors, citing a crackdown by President Donald Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Children’s Hospital Colorado and Denver Health said they will no longer write or refill prescriptions for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for patients under 18, 9News reported Friday. Neither hospital had previously performed sex reassignment operations on minors, according to the media outlet.

“Following the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) announcement that it is dismissing an investigation against Children’s Hospital Colorado, the hospital must suspend all gender-affirming medical care for patients under the age of 18 pending federal court decisions and evaluating the rapidly evolving legal landscape,” Children’s Hospital Colorado said in a statement. “This reference threatens ChiMedicare and Medicaid funding for Colorado children, putting care for hundreds of thousands of children at risk.

READ MORE: Trump administration moves to ban hospitals from performing gender reassignment procedures on children

Denver Health also released a statement saying it “made the difficult decision to pause gender-affirming care for youth” after reviewing actions taken by HHS.

“These changes, necessitated by HHS’s actions, significantly affect access to essential health care services. We are also concerned that the important relationships established between our providers and patients to help them make informed decisions about their care may be disrupted,” the hospital said.