This order is a full-throated attack on the ability of transgender youth to access gender-affirming medical care, even when their parents and doctors agree that such care is in their best interest, and even though similar procedures are allowed for cisgender individuals. The order directs the federal government to take immediate steps to ensure that any institution receiving federal research or education grants does not provide puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy, or gender-affirming surgery to anyone under the age of 19 (including 18-year-olds, who are legally adults). It also directs agencies to rescind guidance based on the WPATH Standards of Care, the leading medical authority on gender-affirming healthcare standards. It directs the Attorney General to weaponize the enforcement of unrelated laws, like those prohibiting consumer fraud and female genital mutilation, against the provision of gender-affirming healthcare. The order also contains numerous instructions for other federal agencies to roll out over time.

States that passed anti-transgender laws aimed at minors saw suicide attempts by transgender and gender nonconforming teenagers increase by as much as 72% in the following years (https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/09/25/nx-s1-5127347/more-trans-teens-attempted-suicide-after-states-passed-anti-trans-laws-a-study-shows)