LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a series of actions yesterday that could essentially ban gender-affirming care for youth all over the country. The most significant move is a proposed rule that says hospitals providing this care cannot receive any Medicare or Medicaid funding. NPR's Selena Simmons-Duffin has been tracking these developments closely and was at HHS headquarters for the announcement. Good morning, Selena. Thanks for being here.
SELENA SIMMONS-DUFFIN, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: Give us a summary of what was announced yesterday.
SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. led the press conference and announced several actions related to what he calls sex-rejecting procedures. Doctors call it gender-affirming care. We're talking about puberty blockers, hormone therapy and very rarely surgery. And the age range is tweens and teens. You know, we're talking about youth under 18. By far, the most significant move is that rule you mentioned. It's called a conditions of participation rule, which is normally used to require hospitals to provide basic health and safety things, like, for example, providing a crash cart for pregnant women in crisis. It's never been used before to say the federal government will basically shut down your hospital if your doctors keep providing a certain type of medical care.
FADEL: OK, so then if it takes effect, what happens?
SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Right now, more than half of states already ban gender-affirming care for young people. And there's been a frenzy of laws since 2021 in Republican-led states. Right now, some families travel to states where this care is still available. And what this would do is force hospitals in those states to shut down as well. I should say, attorneys general in New York and California have already said they're planning to fight these rules and protect the rights of trans people to get care in their states. There are definitely going to be legal fights on a lot of fronts here.
FADEL: And why is Kennedy pushing for these changes?
SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Well, Kennedy says that doctors and officials have, quote, "peddled a lie" that this care is needed.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ROBERT F KENNEDY JR: So-called gender-affirming care has inflicted lasting physical and psychological damage on vulnerable young people. This is not medicine. It is malpractice.
SIMMONS-DUFFIN: The American Academy of Pediatrics pushed back forcefully on that. AAP President Susan Kressly wrote in a statement, quote, "these policies and proposals misconstrue the current medical consensus and fail to reflect the realities of pediatric care and the needs of children and families."
FADEL: And what are you hearing from doctors who provide this care?
SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Yeah, I spoke to a pediatrician in Minnesota yesterday who asked NPR for anonymity because of fears of professional and safety repercussions. The doctor responded to several statements in Kennedy's press conference that questioned the existence of trans kids.
UNIDENTIFIED PEDIATRICIAN: But as a person who has the privilege of providing care to trans youth, this is very real.
SIMMONS-DUFFIN: If these rules take effect, the health system in Minnesota would likely have to end its care for trans kids. And the doctor worries that cutting off care abruptly would cause real harm for patients.
UNIDENTIFIED PEDIATRICIAN: We're going into the holiday break. And families are going to be sitting at home terrified, not knowing how they can protect their children.
SIMMONS-DUFFIN: One more thing to mention is that Republicans in Congress also passed two bills about gender-affirming care for youth this week.
FADEL: Right.
SIMMONS-DUFFIN: One of which would make providing this care a crime punishable up to 10 years in prison. Combined with these moves by HHS, it really shows how committed the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers are to shutting down this care for transgender kids.
FADEL: That's NPR's Selena Simmons-Duffin. Thank you, Selena.
SIMMONS-DUFFIN: You're welcome.
(SOUNDBITE OF SOPHIE HUTCHINGS' "A DEAD SEA'S RIPPLES") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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