Major Children’s Hospital to Halt Gender Procedures Amid Legal Scrutiny

Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., is set to stop performing sex-change procedures on children.

A statement on the hospital’s website says it will stop prescribing “gender-affirming medications” — that is, puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones — effective August 30. The statement indicates the decision was prompted by “escalating legal and regulatory risks” to the hospital, its providers, and its patients.

Earlier this month the U.S. Department of Justice announced it had issued subpoenas to doctors and medical facilities involved in performing sex-change procedures on minors.

The Federal Trade Commission also hosted a workshop highlighting the dangers of so-called “gender-affirming care” for children. Both federal agencies appear to be concerned about the deception that often surrounds sex-change procedures — especially when these procedures are performed on children.

In recent years, men and women have come forward with chilling testimony about how they were rushed through gender-transition as children, and experts have revealed how the medical “consensus” in support of performing transgender procedures on children was largely manufactured by pro-LGBT organizations.

Medical experts in the U.K., Sweden, Finland, and elsewhere have found that science simply does not support giving puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to kids.

In 2021, Arkansas passed the Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act prohibiting doctors from performing sex-change surgeries on children or giving them puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.

Unfortunately, a federal judge blocked the SAFE Act, but in June the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a similar law in Tennessee.

Last week, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office argued in federal court that the decision confirms what he and others have said all along: The SAFE Act is a good law that protects children “from dangerous, experimental gender-transition procedures.”

Since 2021, scientific research has continued to show Arkansas made the right call by passing a law protecting children from sex-change procedures. Public opinion polling shows Arkansans support laws like the SAFE Act.

Sex-change procedures, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormones can leave children permanently scarred, sterilized, and at risk of serious health conditions. Doctors do not know the long-term effects that these procedures might have on people. The SAFE Act is a good law that protects children in Arkansas, and we believe our federal courts will ultimately uphold it as constitutional.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

Biological Male Sues Princeton After Being Excluded from Women’s Track Event

Fox News reports a biological male is suing Princeton University after being excluded from the women’s 200-meter sprint at a school track event in May. The lawsuit alleges Princeton violated New Jersey’s anti-discrimination law that gives a protected status to “gender identity or expression.”

We have written repeatedly how letting men compete in women’s sports reverses 50 years of advancements for women and effectively erases women’s athletics.

It hampers their ability to compete for athletic scholarships, and it hurts their professional opportunities as adults. In some sports, it can even be dangerous.

Female swimmerspowerlifterscyclistssprintersvolleyball players, and others have seen their sports radically changed by men who claim to be women.

Earlier this year, President Trump signed an executive order protecting fairness in women’s sports under Title IX. As a result, schools like UPenn have agreed to take steps to make sure biological males don’t compete in women’s athletics.

In 2021 Arkansas passed Act 461 by Sen. Missy Irvin (R — Mountain View) and Rep. Sonia Barker (R — Smackover) preventing male student athletes from competing against girls in women’s athletics at school. This good law protects fairness in women’s sports in Arkansas.

At the time, some people questioned if it was really necessary to pass Act 461, but four years later, it’s clear Arkansas lawmakers made the right call. Since then, some 29 states have passed similar measures protecting fairness in women’s sports.

It’s also worth remembering that in the past, lawmakers in Arkansas have proposed legislation creating protected classes under state law. We have written about how those types of laws carry unintended consequences — especially if the law creates special protections based on sexual-orientation or gender identity. This “anti-discrimination” lawsuit in New Jersey underscores those unintended consequences.

Most Americans agree that athletes should compete according to their biological sex — not their gender identity.

We deeply appreciate our elected leaders and policymakers who work hard to stand up for fairness in women’s sports both in Arkansas and across the country.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.