Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Pardon Will Allow Vets Dismissed For Sexual Orientation To Apply For Benefits
The Wall Street Journal: Biden To Pardon Military Service Members Dismissed For Their Sexual Orientation
President Biden will move Wednesday to pardon LGBTQ military service members who were discharged or prosecuted because of their sexual orientation, providing a path for them to clear their records and apply for veterans benefits. Administration officials said Tuesday evening that they didn’t know exactly how many former service members would be affected by the order, which creates a process for veterans to apply for a pardon, but they estimate the number is in the thousands. (Linskey, 6/26)
The New York Times: Biden Officials Pressed Trans Medical Group To Change Guidelines For Minors, Court Filings Show
Health officials in the Biden administration pressed an international group of medical experts to remove age limits for adolescent surgeries from guidelines for care of transgender minors, according to newly unsealed court documents. Age minimums, officials feared, could fuel growing political opposition to such treatments. (Ghorayshi, 6/25)
In other news about transgender health —
Oregonlive.com: Oregon Advocacy Groups Launch Ballot Measure Campaign To Enshrine Abortion, Transgender Health Care Rights In State Constitution
Three Oregon advocacy groups are launching a ballot measure campaign to enshrine the right to abortion, transgender health care and same-gender marriage in the Oregon Constitution. (Fuentes, 6/25)
Austin American-Statesman: Texas Transgender Care 'Whistleblower' Never Filed Complaint
A Texas doctor who is accused of leaking patients' medical records to a conservative activist never filed an ethics or misconduct complaint against Texas Children's Hospital despite receiving extensive training to report suspected malfeasance, according to an indictment obtained by the American-Statesman. Houston surgeon Eithan Haim — a 34-year-old doctor who identified himself as the whistleblower behind Christopher Rufo’s May 2023 article slamming the Houston-based children's hospital for allegedly continuing to provide gender-affirming care to minors after it said in 2022 it would cease such care in response to state orders to investigate gender-affirming care as "child abuse" — is described in the indictment as contacting the media “to promote his own personal agenda” rather than flagging concerns through the hospital’s reporting mechanism. (Chomnalez, 6/25)
Reuters: Peru To Stop Labeling Transgender People As Mentally Ill
Peru will stop listing individuals who identify as transgender, among others, as suffering from mental disorders, the country's health ministry announced on Tuesday, following a backlash to the move that critics derided as unnecessary and discriminatory. (6/26)
