The US Department of Health and Human Services has announced a series of proposed regulatory actions to implement President Trump’s Executive Order directing HHS to end the practice of sex-rejecting procedures on children.
These procedures include pharmaceutical or surgical interventions intended to align a child’s physical appearance or body with an asserted identity different from their sex, a Thursday release obtained by our correspondent on the HHS website disclosed this.
The Centres for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will release a notice of proposed rulemaking to bar hospitals from performing sex-rejecting procedures on children under age 18 as a condition of participation in Medicare and Medicaid programmes.
New Rules
CMS is proposing the rule under its authority in sections 1861(e)(9), 1871, and 1905(a) of the Social Security Act, which allow the agency to establish standards to protect patient health and safety in Medicare- and Medicaid-participating hospitals.
CMS will also issue a notice of proposed rulemaking to prohibit federal Medicaid funding for sex-rejecting procedures including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical operations on children under 18, and for Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding on individuals under 19.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. stated that these procedures “do not meet professionally recognised standards of health care.”
“Under my leadership, and answering President Trump’s call to action, the federal government will do everything in its power to stop unsafe, irreversible practices that put our children at risk.
“This Administration will protect America’s most vulnerable. Our children deserve better—and we are delivering on that promise,” Secretary Kennedy said.
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said, “Children deserve our protection, not experimental interventions performed on them, that carry life-altering risks with no reliable evidence of benefit.
“This proposal seeks to clarify that hospitals participating in our programs cannot conduct these unproven procedures on children. CMS will ensure that federal program standards reflect our responsibility to promote the health and safety of children.” He said.
