NY Attorney General Letitia James tells hospitals to continue trans care for minors after Trump order

New York hospitals should continue providing gender-affirming treatments to transgender minors contempt an enforcement bid from President Trump, New York Attorney General Letitia James said Monday.

In an bid past week, Trump threatened to freeze national backing to hospitals crossed the state if they provided gender-affirming attraction to anyone nether property 19.

The bid had a chilling effect crossed the nation, with adjacent hospitals successful Democrat-led states announcing they would intermission gender-affirming attraction portion evaluating the order. The White House adjacent celebrated the move Monday morning, saying it was “already having its intended effect.”

But James said New York hospitals should marque nary specified move, unless they wanted to hazard moving afoul of the state’s anti-discrimination laws.

“Regardless of the availability of national funding, we constitute to further punctual you of your obligations to comply with New York State laws, including those that prohibit favoritism against individuals based connected their rank successful a protected class,” James wrote successful an unfastened letter, noting that sex individuality was 1 specified class.

Gender-affirming attraction for transgender children is precise uncommon successful the U.S., with a caller survey reporting lone about 1 successful 1,000 adolescents received puberty blockers oregon hormones.

Nevertheless, Republicans person turned it into a large governmental contented successful the past decade, with blimpish legislatures crossed the state passing bans connected gender-affirming attraction successful their states. Trump promised to bash the aforesaid aft taking office.

“Electing to garbage services to a people of individuals based connected their protected status, specified arsenic withholding the availability of services from transgender individuals based connected their sex individuality oregon their diagnosis of sex dysphoria, portion offering specified services to cisgender individuals, is favoritism nether New York law,” James wrote Monday.