UI Health is suspending gender-affirming surgeries for people under 19, joining several other Chicago institutions to pause such care amid backlash from the federal government.
The pause on these surgeries begins Aug. 1, according to a statement from UI Health representatives. Surgeries for any current patients under 19 will be postponed, even those that have already been scheduled.
Representatives for UI Health said the “difficult decision” was made “after careful review of recent federal government directives.”
While UI Health did not specify which federal directives influenced the decision, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 28 stating federal agencies must not fund, sponsor, promote or assist gender-affirming care for minors.
Representatives for UI Health said the system is monitoring updates from the federal government to determine “if or when” it can resume these services to patients under 19.
“We recognize the importance of gender-affirming care in supporting the health and well-being of our patients,” UI Health’s statement read. “We are committed to working closely with affected individuals and families to ensure continuity of care and support.”
UI Health’s suspension of gender-affirming surgeries for youth follow similar pauses at other institutions across Chicago and the U.S.
UChicago Medicine announced July 18 it would discontinue all gender-affirming care for patients under 19, citing concerns that offering such care would “put at risk our ability to care for Medicare or Medicaid patients.”
“These patients make up the majority of those we serve,” UChicago Medicine’s statement read. “As the largest Medicaid provider in Illinois, this step is necessary to ensure UChicago Medicine can continue serving our broader community and delivering on our mission.”
Days before, Rush University Medical Center said it was pausing hormonal care for new patients under the age of 18. Surgical gender-affirming care treatments have not been offered at Rush since 2023, according to a statement from the organization.
Lurie Children’s Hospital was among the first to pause youth gender-affirming care in Chicago, and the decision was met with a large protest.
Advocates also protested UI Health in February after UI Health previously tried to pause its surgeries for transgender youth. But this decision was quickly reversed after a parent whose trans teen’s chest surgery was allegedly canceled sued the health system.
Asher McMaher, executive director of the grassroots advocacy group Trans Up Front IL, said the wave of hospital rollbacks has left families across the state in crisis.
McMaher has responded by building a referral network for families looking for gender-affirming care and coordinating with affirming providers, McMaher said. The organization has been inundated with emails from families seeking help.
“We’re getting messages like, ‘This is the age of my child, and they’re a straight-A student, and they play this instrument. And all they want is to be who they are,’” McMaher said. “They’re desperate, and we can feel the desperation.”
McMaher and the volunteers behind Trans Up Front are also working to mobilize people concerned about these pauses and other issues affecting trans youth during an Aug. 10 protest.
The Unite for Trans Youth Lives rally will call attention to the growing number of care rollbacks and demand state and institutional accountability. Trans Up Front is co-organizing the protest with Brave Space Alliance, Chicago Therapy Collective and Equality Illinois.
“Whether it’s medical care or mental health care, these are life-saving things,” McMaher said. “We have to come together, unite and make sure these kids know we are not going to stop fighting for them.”