Atlanta, Georgia – In a significant policy shift, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta said it will stop providing transgender minors with gender-affirming care. Increasing federal pressure and contentious state laws have led many families and supporters to be concerned about the future of transgender healthcare in Georgia.
The organization began informing parents of transgender children about the discontinuation of services through notifications on their online patient portals. The messages stated that the healthcare provider would stop taking new patients and would be moving current patients to other institutions able to offer gender-affirming care. The change addresses growing concerns about federal funding connected to such healthcare services.
A spokesman at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta said the policy shift was caused by executive orders and legislative activity combined. In particular, recently enacted Georgia Senate Bill 140 forbids hospitals from treating gender dysphoria in adolescents under Governor Brian Kemp’s not yet signed into law rule.
A Trump administration executive order on January 28 also clearly declares the U.S. government stance against financing or supporting gender transition surgeries for minors. This order, however, ran into quick legal issues and was temporarily blocked by a federal judge in February.
LGBTQ+ activists and doctors have strongly opposed Children’s choice. Chanel Haley, Deputy Executive Director of Georgia Equality, condemned the hospital’s choice as both “inconsiderate and dangerous.” Haley underlined that professional medical expertise should lead medical decisions instead of political pressure, which she called “aggressive government tactics meant to be divisive.”
This policy shift affects more than just the direct medical treatment at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. This move is part of a larger legislative campaign in Georgia aimed at the transgender population. Earlier this year, the state legislature enacted laws banning all gender-affirming treatment for transgender inmates as well as limiting transgender student athletes’ participation in teams matching their gender identity.
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This change in policy at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta contributes to the continuing discussion over transgender rights and access to healthcare in the United States. The decision of one of Georgia’s top pediatric healthcare practitioners signals a turning point in the interaction of healthcare policy, civil rights, and political power as legal conflicts persist and the public discourse evolves. Families impacted by these developments and advocates now have the difficulty of negotiating these new restrictions even as they still look for required medical treatment for transgender children.
