Connecticut Children’s Medical Center caves to Trump DOJ on gender-affirming care

A Connecticut hospital has agreed to Trump administration demands to stop providing gender-affirming care to minors, leaving transgender youth and their families scrambling amid concerns about continuity of care.

The Justice Department announced Friday that Connecticut Children’s Medical Center had agreed to cease what the department calls “sex-rejecting procedures on minors,” making it the third medical institution to enter into a settlement agreement with the administration. The hospital will also pay a penalty and set aside $500,000 to provide care for individuals who say they were harmed by gender-affirming care they previously received.

Related: Connecticut hospitals sued after cutting off transgender youths’ access to care, despite state protections

“The Department of Justice will stop at nothing to protect America’s children,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “This resolution is a reminder to hospitals, medical providers, and pharmaceutical companies that the Justice Department will vigorously enforce federal law, especially where the lives of children are endangered.”

The agreement comes as Connecticut Children’s is already facing legal action over its decision to halt such care. Transgender patients in December brought a lawsuit against the hospital for disrupting care in alleged violation of Connecticut state law. Attorneys with GLAD Law also filed civil rights complaints against Yale New Haven Health and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, accusing the two health systems of unlawfully cutting off gender-affirming medical care for transgender patients under 19.

The hospital abruptly stopped providing care last year after President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning federal support for gender-affirming care for minors.

Justice Department officials told the Hartford Courant that the institution had potentially violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the False Claims Act by providing gender-affirming care and could have committed health care fraud. The administration has threatened institutions with the loss of federal funding, including Medicare and Medicaid payments, if they refuse to comply with its demand to cease gender-affirming care for minors.

Connecticut Children’s also acknowledged the settlement in a statement to the Courant.

“We can confirm we have reached a resolution that allows our organization to remain focused on our mission of improving the health and well-being of children,” the health system said. “Most importantly, patient privacy remained our foremost concern throughout this process and we were able to resolve this matter without disclosing any protected patient information to the US government. We have complied and will continue to comply with all federal and state laws. We have no additional comment beyond the information contained in today’s DOJ announcement.”