Hospital Shuts Down Gender-Affirming Care Due to Pressures from the Government
This past Monday, the Advocate reported that Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., will stop monitoring and prescribing gender-affirming healthcare. Why? There have been recent subpoenas from the government being issued to doctors and offices that provide gender-affirming care. As a result, the hospital was concerned that the government would punish them if they continued their gender-affirming care. Now, medical officials have until August 30, and then they can’t provide this type of healthcare anymore.
Sure, mental health options will be available, but it won’t be the same for people who really need those medications and surgeries. Despite what U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi claims, another Advocate article points out that most medical associations “support gender-affirming care for minors as evidence-based, effective, and safe when delivered under the supervision of qualified physicians.” They are not “mutilating” children; they are doing what they can so trans teens won’t commit suicide.
Now, though, they are just following the rules instead of saving lives so they won’t be punished.
The crazy part about this whole thing (other than banning gender-affirming care) is that the Advocate says gender-affirming care is still legal in all of D.C. law. Basically, the government is stopping doctors from doing something that is completely legal, so there should be no reason to punish these doctor offices.
The Trump administration doesn’t care about legalities, though, as they have proven time and time again. They just want to get rid of something that doesn’t match their perfect white-picket fence image. And if that means suppressing, harming, or even killing most of American society, then so be it.
What This Reminds Me Of
When I write about these types of situations, I always think about the people who are making these decisions. Pam Bondi, most of the Supreme Court, and, of course, Donald J. Trump. I think about how they create all this peril and turmoil; I think about how this is going on in their heads. Sometimes, I think I am overreacting because they wouldn’t actually kill people, right? No sane person will actually follow them, right?
Then I remember how people thought about Adolf Hitler back when he was rising to power. According to the Atlantic, they saw Hitler as a clown and that the German government would be able to stop him if he took things too far. However, that was not where the story went.
As of the present, I see many people thinking Trump as a clown shouldn’t be taken seriously. Now, this doesn’t mean Trump is exactly like Hitler, but he and other conservatives are going on a very similar path. In fact, I argue that they are at a point where they need to be stopped now. So please, be active in your community in a safe way. Spread hope that there can be a better tomorrow. It helps when you motivate people to do the right thing.
Photo Courtesy of Public Domain Pictures
