Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Settles with DOJ to End Gender-Affirming Care for Minors

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Connecticut Children’s Medical Center has entered a settlement requiring the hospital to cease providing gender-affirming medical services—puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries—to patients under 18. The hospital will pay an undisclosed penalty and allocate $500,000 for “restorative care” to individuals who say they were harmed by prior treatment. This makes Connecticut Children’s the third pediatric institution nationwide to reach such a deal, after Texas Children’s Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

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The settlement follows a series of Trump-administration actions aimed at restricting gender-affirming care for minors. An executive order issued in 2025 directed federal agencies to withhold Medicaid and Medicare funding from providers that offered such care to anyone under 19. The Justice Department began a nationwide investigation in July 2025, issuing more than 20 subpoenas to clinics and doctors suspected of providing “sex-rejecting procedures.” Similar pressure led Yale New Haven Health to end its adolescent gender-care services in 2025.

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• Surgeries on minors are “almost never performed” in Connecticut or elsewhere in the United States.

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• A senior fellow at the Family Research Council estimates children’s gender clinics account for roughly 7.7 % of all gender-affirming care, with the remaining 92.3 % provided to adults.

Connecticut Children’s Hospital to Cancel Trans Procedures after DOJ Pressure

The hospital denied all allegations of federal law violations. The DOJ clarified that no determination of liability had been made and that the claims resolved by the agreement were “allegations only.”

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GLAD Law staff attorney Hannah Hussey condemned the settlement, saying the hospital “once again betrayed Connecticut families.” State Senator Matt Lesser warned the actions could constitute discrimination against LGBT patients. The Out Accountability Project described the settlement as “devastating,” arguing that federal pressure forces hospitals to abandon care.

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Mel Cordner, founding director of Q Plus, warned that eliminating gender-affirming services raises the risk of self-harm and suicide among trans youth.

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• “The Department of Justice will stop at nothing to protect America’s children,” — Associate Attorney General Stanley

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• “Connecticut Children’s Medical Center has once again betrayed Connecticut families,” — Hannah Hussey

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Neither the Justice Department nor Connecticut Children’s confirmed that any patients had formally claimed harm or required restorative care. GLAD Law’s complaints allege discrimination, while the hospital maintains it “did not violate federal law.”

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The settlement ends gender-affirming medical services for Connecticut’s transgender adolescents, forcing families to seek care out of state or forgo treatment. The case illustrates a growing federal-state clash over the regulation of gender-affirming care and may chill other hospitals serving small transgender populations.

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Legislative efforts continue at the federal level. The Chloe Cole Act, recently introduced in the House, would strengthen legal protections for minors and create avenues for families to pursue justice over alleged harms. GLAD Law’s civil-rights complaints remain pending before the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. The Justice Department has indicated its work “is far from over,” suggesting possible further actions against providers that continue offering such care.

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