President Donald Trump declared war on the American medical-industrial complex on Tuesday, signing an executive order cutting off all federal funding and involvement in the mutilation of children 18 and under for purposes of “transitioning genders.”
“Countless children soon regret that they have been mutilated and begin to grasp the horrifying tragedy that they will never be able to conceive children of their own or nurture their children through breastfeeding,” the order states. “Moreover, these vulnerable youths’ medical bills may rise throughout their lifetimes, as they are often trapped with lifelong medical complications, a losing war with their own bodies, and, tragically, sterilization.”
The order directs all federal agencies to cut off funding to institutions that participate in the mutilation of children, as well as block federal insurance plans from using taxpayer dollars to fund such mutilation, including the Department of Defense’s TRICARE.
It also directs the Department of Justice to investigate the barbarism of female genital mutilation, typically a Muslim practice, which is already barred under existing law. The Justice Department will also use consumer protection laws regarding fraud and deception under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to go after “any entity that may be misleading the public about long-term side effects of chemical and surgical mutilation.”
“We all know by now that so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ is anything but caring. There’s a reason it’s illegal for kids to buy alcohol, a lottery ticket, or join the military,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said in a press release. Tuberville is working with Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., to enact federal legislation to block the mutilation of children. “Allowing our young people whose brains aren’t fully developed to undergo a life-altering, irreversible procedure is pure insanity. This isn’t about politics — this is about good and evil. I’m thankful for President Trump’s commonsense leadership to end this barbaric practice in our country once and for all.”
Trump’s order calls on Congress to pass a law creating a private right of action for children whose bodies have been destroyed by predator doctors promoting this kind of intervention. It also promotes a “lengthy statute of limitations” for the right of action, and looks to prioritize investigations “to end child-abusive practices by so-called sanctuary States that facilitate stripping custody from parents who support the healthy development of their own children.”
“It’s now looking extremely likely that the ideology that destroyed my childhood and irreversibly altered my body will be completely eradicated,” Chloe Cole, an outspoken “detransitioner,” said on social media reacting to the order.
The order directs government agencies to end “reliance on junk science,” and specifically calls out the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) — the organization that publishes standards of “care” for mutilation — as a primary source for such junk science. Instead, the Department of Health and Human Services will review and publish its own best practices for helping children feel comfortable in their own bodies, as opposed to ripping them apart.
Some legislative action is underway in the Senate, as Marshall has introduced the Safeguarding the Overall Protection of Minors Act, which would create a federal ban on child mutilation practices. The Kansas Republican also introduced the Defining Male and Female Act in order to ensure that genders are defined based on sex and scientific reality, as opposed to random assertions from mentally unwell individuals.
Breccan F. Thies is a correspondent for The Federalist. He previously covered education and culture issues for the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News. He holds a degree from the University of Virginia and is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.
