The Washington D.C. children’s hospital has decided to stop providing gender transition treatments for minors. This decision comes amid increasing government efforts to prohibit medical interventions that alter the bodies of young people experiencing confusion about their gender identity.

The hospital shared a message with current and new patients in its Gender Development Program, stating that starting August 30, it will no longer prescribe puberty blockers or hormones that align with a gender different from the one assigned at birth. The reason given for this change is the growing legal and regulatory challenges surrounding these treatments.

Earlier in the year, the hospital had already paused prescribing these medications following a government directive aimed at ending the use of public funds for medical procedures intended to change a child’s sex characteristics. This directive also emphasized that surgeries removing healthy body parts were not performed by the hospital.

A government report released this year raised concerns about the potential long-term negative effects of such interventions on young patients. It outlined various health risks, including infertility, bone density problems, cognitive issues, heart and metabolic diseases, mental health challenges, surgical complications, and the possibility of future regret.

An independent review commissioned abroad also found there is insufficient evidence to support the long-term benefits of these treatments for youth experiencing gender distress. Based on these findings, the government took the stance that performing gender transition procedures on minors is unethical unless solid evidence demonstrates that the benefits outweigh the risks and that any potential harms can be properly managed.