Washington University in St. Louis is ending transgender care for minors undergoing a gender transition.
The school cites Missouri’s newly enacted law which prevents a doctor from prescribing or giving cross-sex hormones or puberty-blocking drugs to someone under 18. The law also bans physicians from performing gender transition surgery on minors.
Senate Bill 49 was sponsored by Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove. Under the bill, minors prescribed puberty blockers or hormones before August 28 would be able to continue to receive those drugs.
Minor patients who are currently receiving care through the university’s transgender center will be referred to other providers for these services. However, the center will continue to offer those services medical care for patients over the age of 18.
In a statement, Washington University said:
“We are disheartened to have to take this step. However, Missouri’s newly enacted law regarding transgender care has created a new legal claim for patients who received these medications as minors. This legal claim creates unsustainable liability for health-care professionals and makes it untenable for us to continue to provide comprehensive transgender care for minor patients without subjecting the university and our providers to an unacceptable level of liability.”
One of the early responses to the news was Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley. His office was in the midst of investigating the transgender center regarding potential medical malpractice on minors. On April 21, Washington University said found no patients who had adverse physical reactions caused by the medications prescribed there, but according to Hawley, the university refused to provide his office with several thousand documents he requested.
Good news for parents and children & basic common sense – but we still need answers about what happened at Wash U, and why University officials won’t cooperate with investigators https://t.co/lpSLhZNBON
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) September 11, 2023
Click here or here for more information.
;
