New York doctor says he'll continue providing transition care despite Trump executive order
As legal battles are fought over an executive order restricting transgender care for patients younger than 19, some clinics are continuing to provide the care while others are backing off.
A New York City doctor said he will continue providing gender-affirming treatments to his patients younger than 19 despite President Donald Trump’s executive order aiming to ban such care, because, the doctor said, these patients’ lives depend on it.
“Until somebody calls me away, I’m just going to keep doing it,” said Dr. Jeffrey Birnbaum, a pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist. He doesn’t think that will happen, he added, noting that New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a statement Monday telling doctors that state law requires them to continue providing such care.
However, as a result of the order and the decision by several hospitals to voluntarily cancel appointments for individuals 18 and younger, Birnbaum said his patients are scared. He said about 20 of his patients could be affected by the order.
“They’re terrified that their treatment is going to be interrupted, and they’re going to lose their treatment, plain and simple,” he said. “And for them, it’s life-sustaining.”
Trump’s order, “Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” aims to prohibit federal funding from being used for transition-related care — including puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery — for trans people under 19 years old. It also states that medical schools and hospitals receiving federal research or education grants have to “end the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.”
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