This article was reprinted with permission from Virginia Mercury.
A political battle over transgender healthcare has left some Virginia families scrambling to secure care for their children. Following an executive order from President Donald Trump, three Virginia hospitals paused gender-affirming care for minors, leaving patients in limbo. But now, after a federal judge blocked the order, at least one hospital is resuming services — while others remain on hold.
The University of Virginia’s hospital has restarted gender-affirming care for patients under 19, but in Richmond, VCU Health’s pause remains in place. A spokesperson for Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk did not respond to questions for comment.
“We are reviewing the order to determine an appropriate course of action,” VCU Health communications director Danielle Pierce said in an email Friday. “(The hospital’s) doors have remained open, and will continue to be open, to all patients and their families for screening, counseling and all health care needs not affected by the executive order.”
Advocacy groups are calling for immediate action. Equality Virginia, alongside various LGBTQ+ organizations, signed a joint letter urging hospitals to resume care for minors.
“Virginians deserve health care that is rooted in medical integrity, legal protections, and ethical responsibility, not political expediency,” they wrote.
Meanwhile, families are struggling to navigate the uncertainty.
Sen. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, the first and only openly transgender member of Virginia’s General Assembly, said she’s been in touch with families trying to switch providers before their children’s medication runs out.
“Kids and families have been made to panic for weeks,” Roem said.
As hospitals around Virginia navigate the fallout from Trump’s late-January order, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares wasted no time pushing for compliance.
He sent a memo to UVA Health and VCU Health advising them to halt gender-affirming care for minors immediately. By early February, CHKD followed suit, announcing it would suspend those services.
For Norfolk resident Lisa Suhay, the policy change is deeply frustrating. While her 21-year-old transgender daughter isn’t directly affected, she’s concerned for families who are now left scrambling — and for hospitals caught in the political crosshairs.
“A goal of (Trump’s) administration is to drive wedges between our medical communities and the public,” Suhay said. “By forcing hospitals to make these brutal decisions, they achieve that goal.”
Trump’s order, which is temporarily blocked as legal challenges play out, directs federal agencies to ensure that institutions receiving federal research or education grants “end the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.”
While Suhay said she believes hospitals should resist the order, she acknowledges the difficult position they’re in, as defying it could mean losing federal funding.
“The parents who are shouting ‘you need to resist for the sake of my child’ still need to have a hospital for their kid to go to if they break an arm or have cancer,” she said.
