Corewell Health is the first medical system in the state to announce that it will limit gender-affirming care for minors. It will no longer allow minors seeking such treatment to begin new hormone therapy regimens; however, minor patients who are already receiving hormone therapy will be able to continue their treatments.
The moratorium follows President Donald Trump’s executive order, which threatens to cut federal funding for hospitals that provide such treatments to people under the age of 19.
Corewell told the Free Press, “At this time, we are not beginning any new hormone therapy regimens for minor patients seeking gender affirming care.” We do not perform gender-affirming surgery on minors.
Our team will continue to monitor federal changes to rules and regulations. We remain committed to providing the highest quality health care to all of our patients.”
Corewell has two divisions. Corewell Health East comprises Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak, Corewell Health Beaumont Troy Hospital, and other former Beaumont locations. Corewell Health West includes three hospitals: Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, Corewell Health Blodgett Hospital, and Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital.
While the health system’s policy applies to the entire Corewell system, gender affirming care for minors has rarely been provided at Corewell East facilities, according to a Corewell spokesman.
Other hospital systems in the state have not responded to whether they are changing the care they provide. The Detroit Medical Center did not return requests for comment. Neither did Henry Ford Health System.
Michigan Medicine, the medical center at the University of Michigan, stated this week: “University of Michigan Health teams are assessing the potential impact of this executive order on our healthcare services and the communities we serve. Our priority remains delivering high-quality, accessible care to our patients while ensuring compliance with the latest law.”
Meanwhile, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel urged hospitals to continue providing treatment, stating in a statement that “refusing healthcare services to a class of individuals based on their protected status, such as withholding services from transgender individuals based on their gender identity or diagnosis of gender dysphoria, while offering such services to cisgender individuals, may constitute discrimination under Michigan law.”
The final point was this: “If you are seeking healthcare, continue to do so. If you are providing healthcare in compliance with Michigan law, please continue to do so.”
The nation’s transgender population is small. According to UCLA’s Williams Institute, which conducts research on gender identity, sexual orientation, and public policy, approximately 1.6 million people aged 13 and up identify as transgender. According to a study conducted by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 3% of high school students will identify as transgender by 2023.
Transgender youths are more likely to suffer from depression and suicidal behavior, as well as to experience violence and homelessness, than their peers who identify with the gender assigned to them at birth.
According to a 2022 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, young people who received gender affirming therapies were 60% less likely to suffer from depression and 73% less likely to engage in suicidal ideation or behavior than youths who did not receive gender affirming treatment.
Gender affirming care for transgender minors typically begins with puberty blockers and progresses to hormone therapy. According to research conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, gender affirming surgery is rarely performed on minors.
President Trump’s executive order is being challenged in federal court.
