“Gender affirming” care for minors isn’t care, and the HHS is finally recognizing that
By Easton Martin | December 18, 2025
The Department of Health and Human Services has proposed a policy that would bar hospitals receiving federal funding from performing transition-related procedures on minors. This is a decisive and necessary step to protect children from a practice that is neither medical nor ethical. “Gender-affirming” interventions for minors do not constitute genuine care. They are interventions that endorse choices children are not equipped to fully understand, often with lifelong and irreversible consequences.
Children are inherently vulnerable. They lack the capacity to comprehend the long-term effects of hormone therapies or surgical procedures. Adults, by contrast, bear responsibility for ensuring the safety and well-being of the young in their care. Any medical practice that risks permanent bodily harm or psychological trauma for the sake of affirming a transient sense of identity is a profound violation of that responsibility.
This proposal aligns federal funding with the principle that medicine must protect, not exploit, those who are most vulnerable. Hospitals and providers should focus on therapies that support mental health, family stability, and the natural development of children, rather than enabling choices that carry irreversible physical and emotional risks.
It is long past time that our institutions recognize the distinction between genuine care and experimentation that masquerades as compassion. Protecting children from harmful medical practices is a moral responsibility, not just a matter of politics. HHS’s proposed rule is a clear affirmation that the health and safety of minors must always come first.
