Major Connecticut hospitals begin 'winding down' youth gender programs citing 'evolving landscape'
Connecticut Childrens Medical Center and Yale New Haven Health are the latest hospitals to begin "winding down" their gender transition program for minors, recent statements revealed.On Wednesday, Connecticut Childrens Medical Center President and CEO Jim Shmerling said in a statement, "In recent months, we have been carefully reviewing the long-term sustainability of our gender care program in light of an increasingly complex and evolving landscape, thoughtful consideration and guidance from medical and legal experts, we have made the difficult decision to begin winding down this program for patients under the age of 19.""This process is being carried out in a deliberate and planful way, with ongoing communication and support for the families and team members directly involved. It continues to be an evolving and fluid situation," he continued.TRUMP'S JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TARGETS DOCTORS, CLINICS WHO PROVIDE SEX CHANGE PROCEDURES TO MINORSCHILDREN'S HOSPITAL LOS ANGELES HALTS TRANSGENDER CARE AMID PRESSURE FROM TRUMP ADMINISTRATIONShmerling also said the hospital is currently taking patients on a "case-by-case basis" to "ensure that every childs needs are considered with compassion, clinical judgment, and care."A webpage for Connecticut Childrens Medical Center's gender program has since been taken down. A version of the page recovered from the Internet Archive in May showed that the center previously offered prescriptions for hormone therapy and puberty blockers for patients who have already experienced puberty with an evaluation letter from a mental health professional.On Thursday, Yale New Haven Health followed suit with its own statement after "carefully monitoring federal executive orders and administrative actions.""This decision was not made lightly. We are aware of the profound impact that this decision will have on the patients treated in this program, as well as their families. We are committed to offering transitional support as the medication treatment component of the pediatric gender-affirming care program winds down, and our providers will continue to provide mental health and other health care services to these patients in a compassionate care environment," the statement provided to Fox News Digital read.FBI LAUNCHES PROBES INTO 3 CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS FOR ALLEGED GENITAL MUTILATION OF MINORSYale New Haven Healths full statement also claimed that the original program "did not include surgical interventions."Fox News Digital reached out to Connecticut Childrens Medical Center and Yale New Haven Health for additional details.Since President Donald Trump signed the "Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation" executive order in January, several high-profile hospitals have announced they were either pausing or shutting down their gender transition programs for youth patients.CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTUREThe order states that the administration will not "fund, sponsor, promote, assist or support the so-called transition of a child from one sex to another," and that it will "rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures.""Chemical and surgical mutilation" includes the use of puberty blockers, sex hormones and surgical procedures, according to the order on The White Houses website.