07/15/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/15/2025 20:40
Equality Illinois Responds to Rush Medical Center Rolling Back Gender-Affirming Care for Youth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15th, 2025
Statement from Equality Illinois Interim CEO Channyn Lynne Parker:
"We are outraged by the decision of Rush University Medical Center to halt certain types of evidence-based, medically-necessary gender-affirming medical care for new patients under the age of 18. Rush is the latest Chicago medical institution to roll back essential care for Trans youth.
At a time when Trans youth across the country are under attack by state and federal politicians and the U.S. Supreme Court, Rush's decision is a devastating abdication of its responsibility to provide evidence-based, medically necessary care. Let's be clear: gender-affirming care saves lives.
Equality Illinois is committed to protecting access to care and holding institutions accountable when they abandon vulnerable patients. Chicago's leading medical institutions should be courageous, not complicit. These rollbacks send a dangerous message that the health and safety of Trans young people are negotiable. We call on Rush to immediately restore access to gender-affirming care and publicly re-commit to supporting Trans youth with the dignity, respect, and medical care they deserve."
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