Carri, a Fox Valley parent, said her 15-year-old son came out as transgender.
Carri, who asked WPR not to use her last name for her family’s safety, recalls how hormone replacement medication affected her son, who is now a young adult.
“Before that point, there was a lot of of emotional turmoil that he was living with, a lot of depression, a lot of anxiety,” she said. “Those hormones really helped match his brain with his body which, to me, that’s just the basic level of care we can provide individuals that identify as trans.”
She is concerned that President Donald Trump’s new executive order may deny transgender children and teenagers access to this type of gender-affirming care.
Trump issued an executive order on Tuesday aimed at ending access to treatments such as puberty blockers, hormones, and procedures for those under the age of 19.
The directive seeks to prevent medical professionals from providing this type of care by limiting participation in Medicaid and Medicare, as well as federal research and education funds.
According to the president’s decree, transition treatments might increase the youth’s medical expenditures over their lifetime and induce regret as they age because they may harm their capacity to produce children.
Since taking office last week, the Trump administration has made a number of moves affecting the transgender community. This week, Trump also issued an executive order prohibiting transgender military personnel from serving openly. On his first day in office, Trump commanded the federal government to acknowledge only two sexes, male and female, and stated that they are unchangeable.
Carri stated that the changing federal position has created confusion and worry among transgender people and their families.
She stated that many of the parents she knows are now considering the cost of medications for their children who do not have insurance or moving to a place with better access to care.
“Wisconsin went red during this election, and we have neighbors that are blue, so some parents are wondering about that,” she said. “I know some people are looking at if they need to find a sanctuary for their youth out of the country. I think there’s varying levels, but I think all of those scenarios roll around in our heads, because it comes back to safety.”
She is concerned that delaying access to treatment will be particularly devastating for youngsters who struggle with self-harm or suicidal ideation. She said finding health providers who understand and can successfully treat transgender children is already tough, and she is concerned that focusing on gender-affirming treatments may make access even more difficult.
“Trans youth, they really just want to be able to live their lives,” Carri said. “They have a right to be safe. They want to be able to have the rights of others. They want to be able to be affirmed when they’re struggling with something, and it shouldn’t be a political debate.”
WPR contacted numerous pediatric clinicians around the state to discuss how the executive order would impact patient care.
A spokesman for UW Health stated in an email that they were reviewing the ruling to “determine potential impacts to the care we provide.” According to a statement on the UW Health’s Gender Services program website, physicians “know that this is a difficult time for many of our LGBTQ+ patients and families.” The program is touted as catering to both adults and children.
“While we don’t know exactly how things will unfold and what lies ahead, we are committed to showing up for our patients in all the ways that we can and continuing to provide excellent, evidence-based, patient-centered care for our transgender, nonbinary and gender diverse patients,” said the online statement.
Children’s Wisconsin and Marshfield Clinic Health System did not return requests for comment on the ruling.