ACLU: Methodist hospitals to stop all gender-affirming procedures
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis will no longer provide gender-affirming procedures to patients, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee said, a move that violates federal discrimination laws on the basis of sex and disability.
It's unclear both when the decision was made or what procedures will no longer be provided; the hospital system did not return The Commercial Appeal's request for comments.
“All people should be able to access necessary medical care without fear of discrimination because of who they are,” ACLU-TN Staff Attorney Lucas Cameron-Vaughn said on Wednesday. “Denial of healthcare results in life-threatening situations for all patients. Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is risking the lives of its patients by jumping into culture wars. Discrimination does not belong in healthcare."
Multiple studies have shown that providing gender-affirming and supportive care saves young people’s lives by dramatically reducing depression and suicidal ideation, the ACLU said.
ACLU Tennessee is citing the case of Chris Evans, a nonbinary 19-year-old who was scheduled for a gender-affirming procedure before they were notified the hospital is no longer overseeing such procedures. The ACLU is demanding Evans' procedure be rescheduled before Dec. 31, or the organization will file a complaint with the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.
“Growing up, I was taught to never let anyone touch my body, that my body is mine and mine alone. Right now, my body is not home to the way I feel inside, which is why, in consultation with multiple health professionals and my family over many years, I decided to schedule this medically necessary surgery,” Evans said. “I hope that the hospital acts quickly to reinstate my scheduled surgery, because no one else should be able to make decisions about my body but me.”
In a statement provided to the press, Evans describes Methodist's decision as a life-threatening one that could endanger the physical and emotional wellbeing of trans and nonbinary patients.
The alleged decision by Methodist comes as Tennessee lawmakers have filed legislation that would ban gender-affirming procedures and healthcare for minors.
Most recently, Vanderbilt University Medical Center's children's hospital has been the target of right-wing bloggers and some elected officials who have amplified misleading rhetoric that suggests minors are easily allowed irreversible, life-altering surgical procedures with little vetting.
The Nashville-based medical center announced in October it was pausing surgeries for minors as it reviews new international recommendations for transgender patient care from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.
Gender-affirming surgical procedures involving patients younger than 18 are rare, Vanderbilt University Medical officials have said. On average, the hospital schedules around five a year. None were genital procedures.
Micaela Watts is a reporter with The Commercial Appeal and can be reached at micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Methodist hospitals to stop providing gender-affirming procedures
