Phoenix Children’s Hospital Halts Gender-Affirming Care for Arizona Youth Indefinitely

Phoenix Children’s Hospital has discreetly discontinued certain aspects of its gender-affirming care program for minors under 19, following an executive order issued by President Trump last week.

Parents of patients expressed surprise at the extent of the changes, having only received notifications about impending announcements. A patient portal message indicated that the hospital would “indefinitely pause gender-affirming medical care for children under the age of 19” due to the recent executive order.

The portal further mentioned that the hospital would collaborate with pharmacists to gradually discontinue puberty blockers or hormones for patients currently using them. On February 10, parents received a letter from Drs. Vinny Chulani and Ashish Patel, who are leading the hospital’s care efforts, informing them of the decision to pause treatment specifically involving puberty blockers and hormonal therapy. However, psychiatric and outpatient rehabilitation services would remain unaffected.

The hospital has yet to make a public confirmation regarding these changes. Efforts to reach Phoenix Children’s Hospital for clarification on compliance with the executive order went unanswered.

Local advocacy groups, including the Arizona Trans Parent Youth Organization and Education Action Alliance, criticized the decision in a statement, expressing their devastation over the impact on transgender youth. They emphasized that such policies jeopardize both the well-being of these individuals and their right to necessary medical care.

Gender-affirming care has been recognized for decades as an effective treatment for gender dysphoria. Moreover, the use of puberty blockers has been established as a medical intervention for a variety of conditions in cisgender children. As the largest provider of gender-affirming care in Arizona, Phoenix Children’s Hospital has faced threats and hostility, often fueled by disinformation.

The decision aligns with compliance to President Trump’s executive order, which is currently facing legal challenges and has yet to be enforced. Notably, recent actions in other major cities, such as Los Angeles and New York, have seen children’s hospitals halt similar care, although New York Attorney General Letitia James has mandated that state hospitals continue offering necessary services under anti-discrimination statutes.

In Arizona, however, there are no existing anti-discrimination laws protecting LGBTQ+ individuals, despite significant public support and ongoing efforts from Democrats to legislate such protections.