Corewell Health will no longer provide gender-affirming care to minors.
Noting the “serious risk of legal and regulatory action,” the health system said Thursday, Sept. 11, that it would stop prescribing puberty blockers or hormone therapy to minors for gender affirmation.
“Like many health care systems across the country, we made this decision to protect both our health care providers and our patients,” Corewell said in a statement provided to MLive. “We will continue to compassionately address the health needs of our patients who are in transition or wish to transition, including providing mental health support.”
Long-standing policy already prevented gender-affirming surgeries on minors.
What it has offered was the use of puberty blockers, which delay onset or progression of puberty, and hormone therapy, which can be used to align someone’s physical appearance with their gender identity.
Corewell previously paused all gender-affirmation for new patients who are minors in February following an executive order from President Donald Trump. The Jan. 28 order called for rigorous enforcement of all laws that prohibit or limit transition from one sex to another by anyone 18 or younger.
The health system quickly changed course and resumed service within a week, noting “care decisions are best made between physicians and families.”
Corewell’s latest pivot comes after Michigan Medicine announced it would no longer provide gender-affirming care for patients under 19. The Ann Arbor-based system cited a federal subpoena and “escalating external threats and risks.”
Existing Corewell patients who are minors and have been prescribed puberty blockers or hormone therapy for gender affirmation will be contacted by their care team in the coming weeks, according to a letter from Corewell, addressed to “families” and obtained by MLive.
Patients on hormone therapy may receive up to six months of refills if requested in the next 30 days. Those with existing puberty-blocker implants will be able to continue to use them until they naturally expire, but won’t be provided a replacement.
Corewell’s gender care clinic will continue to see patients and provide behavioral health, social affirmation and psychosocial support services.
Not all gender-affirming care is permanent. Puberty blockers called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogs pause puberty until a person stops taking them, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Delaying puberty for youth who have gender dysphoria has been associated with reduced depression, anxiety, and thoughts or actions of self-harm.
Gender-affirming surgeries on transgender and gender-diverse minors in the U.S. are rare, according to a July 2024 Harvard study.
Researchers found no such surgeries performed on youth 12 and younger in 2019, and a rate of 2.1 cases per 100,000 people ages 15 to 17. Most of those gender-affirming surgeries were chest procedures, which were vastly more common among male cisgender teens than transgender teens.
“Our findings suggest that legislation blocking gender-affirming care among TGD (transgender or gender-diverse) youth is not about protecting children, but is rooted in bias and stigma against TGD identities and seeks to address a perceived problem that does not actually exist,” said Dannie Dai, the study’s lead author.
Parents of Corewell patients who notice any emotional or behavioral changes in their children are encouraged to contact their mental health or primary care provider to schedule an appointment. In the case of immediate safety concerns, call 911 or take your child to the nearest emergency room.
For more information, contact Corewell’s care teams through MyChart or by calling 616-391-3933.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.