Hospitals End or Restrict Transgender Procedures for Minors

At least 21 hospitals have ended or restricted transgender medical services for minors since January 2025, according to reporting by NBC News in August 2025. Twelve hospitals stopped providing puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones to minors, and four stopped offering related surgeries. The number of facilities making these changes has continued to increase.

The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio reached a settlement with the Justice Department earlier this month. The agreement requires the clinic to stop transgender services for children for 20 years and includes a $308,000 payment to resolve insurance billing allegations plus $2 million set aside for detransitioning services.

Hospitals in California, New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts have also closed or paused these services for minors. Baystate Health in Massachusetts ended its program in February after nearly 70 percent of its patients relied on Medicaid and Medicare.

A jury awarded Fox Varian $2 million in a medical malpractice case earlier this year. Varian underwent a double mastectomy at age 16 after being referred for transgender procedures. Kayla Lovdahl reached a confidential settlement with Kaiser Hospital Foundation after receiving puberty blockers at age 12 and a double mastectomy at age 13.

Chloe Cole has filed a separate lawsuit against Kaiser over similar procedures performed as a teenager. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons stated there is insufficient evidence of a favorable risk-benefit ratio for gender-related surgical interventions in minors and recommended delaying such procedures until patients are at least 19 years old.