Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Wary Of Restrictions From Trump, Transgender People Stock Up On Meds
The Guardian: Trans People Scramble To Stockpile Medication Ahead Of Trump Presidency
Many transgender people in the US are scrambling to shore up their treatments out of fear the incoming Trump administration will follow through on threats to restrict their healthcare. A popular underground hormone manufacturer stopped taking new orders in order to get through a backlog. “[We] didn’t expect to be hit as hard as we did after the election,” the manufacturer wrote on Reddit. The provider, Plume Health, which focuses on gender-affirming care, also noticed “a bump” in inquiries after the election, said Jerrica Kirkley, the co-founder and chief medical officer of the virtual clinic. (Nowell, 12/2)
Los Angeles Times: Is The Supreme Court About To Let Red States Ban Hormone Treatment For Transgender Teens?
The conservative Supreme Court is poised to leap into another culture-war battle between red states and blue states, this time involving medical rights of transgender teens and their parents. Two years after the conservative majority overturned national abortion rights, the justices will hear arguments Wednesday over whether states may ban hormone treatment and puberty blockers for adolescents suffering from gender dysphoria. (Savage, 12/2)
The 19th: The Future Of Trans Health Care Under Trump
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) sets global standards for doctors and nurses providing health care to transgender patients, especially for gender-affirming care. As that care has become increasingly politicized and banned across the United States, the organization’s work has become more fraught. Updating medical standards is slow and winding work, in which gaps in research are par for the course. But in the current political environment, far-right figures and opponents of gender-affirming care are ready to seize on any perceived misstep or discrepancy as reason to ban the care entirely. (Rummler, 12/2)
The Salt Lake Tribune: Utah House Speaker Gave $120k Of His Own Money To Shadowy Anti-Trans PAC
A key funder of a shadowy anti-transgender political action committee that attacked Democratic state lawmakers and candidates in the weeks leading up to last month’s election is one of the most powerful Republicans in Utah, according to the PAC’s first disclosure of a contribution filed Saturday. House Speaker Mike Schultz gave $120,000 to the PAC, according to a campaign finance report. Ads attributed to the PAC were left in mailboxes, sent over text and driven through Salt Lake City streets on mobile billboards declaring that Democratic lawmakers “voted against Utah’s girls” in opposing legislation that curtails transgender Utahns’ rights. (Stern, 12/2)
Also —
The Boston Globe: A Former Director Called The Boston Children’s Transgender Clinic ‘Reckless.’ Families Say That Couldn’t Be Further From The Truth
In the tight-knit community of Massachusetts families with transgender children, Boston Children’s Hospital is regarded as the most cautious institution in the region when it comes to providing medical transition treatments to minors. So, many parents were flummoxed, they said in recent interviews, when they heard that a former director at the hospital’s gender clinic, known as GeMS, had called the clinic’s practices “reckless.” (Damiano, 12/3)
The Washington Post: What To Know About Transgender Health Care For Minors
Frequently asked questions about gender transition care for minors, including what are puberty blockers and whether cross-sex hormones impact fertility. (Parks, 12/3)
