Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hegseth Halts Gender-Affirming Care For Trans Service Members
ABC News: Hegseth Orders Immediate Pause On Gender-Affirming Medical Care For Transgender Service Members
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered an immediate pause on gender-affirming medical care procedures for all active-duty service members in a memo that was addressed to senior Pentagon leadership and military command. The Feb. 7, 2025, memo, which was obtained today by ABC News, also ordered an immediate pause on all new promotions in the military for individuals “with a history of gender dysphoria.” (Zaru, 2/10)
The 19th: Rep. Sarah McBride Wants LGBTQ+ Rights Efforts To Fight Smarter, Not Harder
The highest-ranking trans elected official in the country says “we have to reclaim the narrative and the humanity in the public’s mind of trans people.” (Rummler, 2/10)
The New York Times: How Trump’s Executive Orders Strike At Transgender Identity
On his first day back in office, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order declaring that there are only two sexes, male and female, that a person’s sex is established at conception and that it cannot be changed. Then, through a series of executive orders, he issued a raft of policies targeted at transgender Americans, a population of roughly 1.6 million. (Harmon, 2/11)
NPR: Some Hospitals Are Complying With Trump's Order On Transgender Teens
Kristen Chapman had already moved her family from Tennessee to Virginia to try to find a state that would be more welcoming to her transgender daughter, Willow. After months waiting for an appointment at the gender-affirming care clinic at VCU Health in Richmond, Willow had one on the calendar on Jan. 29. President Trump's executive order limiting transgender health care for youth came out in the afternoon of Jan. 28. (Simmons-Duffin, 2/10)
