Congressman Onder Applauds Trump Administration’s Announcement on Sex-Rejecting Procedures

(Washington, D.C.) - Today, Rep. Bob Onder, M.D. (MO-03) attended a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announcementof regulatory actions to end the practice of providing irreversible transgender surgeries and prescriptions to children. These actions were directed by President Trump's January 28, 2025, Executive Order 14187, "Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation."

The executive order also required HHS to review and publish all available clinical evidence through a Gender Dysphoria Report, which exposed the alarming lack of clinical evidence to support these interventions, and documented serious risks and harms. Additionally, the order directed the Department of Justice to transmit legislation to Congress to permanently prohibit these procedures. Rep. Onder introduced that legislation-H.R. 5483, the Chloe Cole Act-with Senator Marsha Blackburn introducing the Senate companion.

"The dark days of subjecting children like Chloe Cole to irreversible harm that they cannot consent to are over. Secretary Kennedy's announcement today will protect children, their families, and the majority of doctors who want to uphold their promise to 'do no harm'. I thank President Trump and Secretary Kennedy for their leadership on this crucial issue. The Administration is banning all hospitals, clinics, and providers that accept federal funding from performing these experimental and dangerous procedures on children. This will effectively end the practice of chemical and surgical mutilation in the United States," Congressman Onder said.

Background Information

According to Secretary Kennedy's announcement, HHS intends to:

• Prohibit hospitals from providing transgender surgeries or prescriptions to minors
• Prevent taxpayer dollars from supporting transgender medical interventions on minors by prohibiting Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) from funding these procedures on minors
• Warn sellers and manufacturers of breast binders they must immediately end the illegal marketing of these products to minors
• Allow medical providers who do not want to participate in transgender surgeries or prescriptions the option to decline to participate by reversing the Biden administration's attempt to include gender dysphoria within the definition of a disability
• Issue a public health message to inform health care providers, families, and policymakers that current evidence does not support claims that puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries are safe and effective treatments for pediatric gender dysphoria.

When used long term in healthy children, puberty blockers can cause splintered bones and osteoporosis. When cross-sex hormones follow puberty blockers, the child can be left permanently infertile and can be more likely to experience cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. We know that these procedures cause serious, permanent damage and provide little psychological benefit. Political pressures have infiltrated medical society leadership, who have chosen to disregard evidence-based medicine and stifle concerns from physician members. Both the Endocrine Society and American Academy of Pediatrics adopted so-called "Gender Affirming Care" without allowing debate or a vote by their membership. In fact, physician members of both organizations have petitioned their leadership for the opportunity to discuss their concerns, but both have refused to allow such debate. Whistleblower doctors and nurses have shared that parents and children are usually uninformed of the long-term health risks, and that many gender clinics intentionally refuse to track negative outcomes or provide support to children who are unhappy with the outcomes of their hormone intervention.