Judge Brendan Hurson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland issued a 14-day restraining order on portions of President Donald Trump’s executive order that bans chemical and surgical mutilation on children and the government recognizing only two sexes.
The order stops agencies “from conditioning or withholding federal funding based on the fact that a healthcare entity or health professional provides gender affirming care” to people under nineteen.
The defendants have until February 20 to supply the court with a report of their compliance with the order.
The order applies to Section 3(g) of Executive Order 14168 and Section 4 of Executive Order 14187.
Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government, Section 3(g): “Federal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology. Each agency shall assess grant conditions and grantee preferences and ensure grant funds do not promote gender ideology.”
Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation, Section 4: “The head of each executive department or agency (agency) that provides research or education grants to medical institutions, including medical schools and hospitals, shall, consistent with applicable law and in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, immediately take appropriate steps to ensure that institutions receiving Federal research or education grants end the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.”
Trump signed the EO recognizing two sexes on January 20 and the one banning the mutilation of children on January 28.
On February 4, teens and their parents, along with groups like PFLAG and GLMA, filed a lawsuit with the help of the ACLU, Lambda Legal, and other law firms.
“In this situation, it is clear that these plaintiffs have received phone calls stopping their care, stopping their appointments, stopping their everything,” Hurson told the parties, according to NBC News.
Hurson added: “I don’t know how you can credibly argue that this is not demanding the cessation of funding for gender affirming care.”
Hospitals across the nation started backing away from “gender-affirming care” after Trump signed his executive orders.
The plaintiffs want to ask for a preliminary injunction before the order expires.
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