Judge Brendan Hurson today (Thursday, Feb. 13) issued a temporary restraining order block enforcement of Donald Trump’s Jan. 28 executive order banning gender-affirming health care for transgender youth under age 19.
Brian K. Bond, CEO of PFLAG National, said the restraining order “rights a grievous wrong to our nation’s families and children,” adding that his organization will “be vigilant to ensure our transgender loved ones receive the healthcare they need — as this legal ruling demands.”
Bond added, “Good and decent parents of transgender kids should never be in the frightening position of having their child’s prescribed, medically necessary care canceled at the whim and threat of a politician. But that’s what President Trump’s executive order did to PFLAG families with trans you and young adults nationwide.”
GLMA Executive Director Alex Sheldon said, “Forcing providers to withhold medically-necessary, evidence-based care not only threatens patient health and well-being, but also undermines the integrity of our healthcare system in its entirety.
““Today’s intervention by the court underscores the cruelty and recklessness that is embedded in this order and affirms our commitment to resist the administration’s extremist agenda”
Alex Sheldon, GLMA executive director
“Today’s intervention by the court underscores the cruelty and recklessness that is embedded in this order and affirms our commitment to resist the administration’s extremist agenda that targets trans and non-binary young people and privileges political ideology over medical expertise,” Sheldon added. “We are hopeful that this decision is a critical step toward restoring safety, trust and stability in our healthcare institutions.”
The restraining order, which has effect nationwide, prohibits federal agencies from conditioning or withholding federal funding based on the fact that a healthcare entity or health professional provides gender-affirming medical to a patient under 19.
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed Feb. 4 by American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal, the ACLU of Maryland and law firms Jenner & Block and Hogan Lovells on behalf of trans youth who health care was interrupted by the ruling.
Also joining the case are plaintiffs PFLAG National and GLMA, the country’s largest organization of LGBTQ and allied health professionals.
— Tammye Nash