Miyares told VCU to stop ‘mutilation’ of minors after Trump order on transgender care
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares sent a legal memo to Virginia Commonwealth University this week instructing the university’s health system to stop the “chemical and surgical mutilation of children” in accordance with President Donald Trump’s order restricting gender-affirming treatments for minors.
In the directive sent Thursday to both VCU and the University of Virginia, Miyares said he was providing “prompt legal advice” so the state could “protect itself from significant legal risk
and substantial financial exposure” following Trump’s executive order issued Tuesday.
“Given the plain terms of this Executive Order, the chemical and surgical mutilation of children must end immediately,” Miyares wrote in the memo obtained by The Richmonder. “Any institution that continues to engage in such mutilation unacceptably and unjustifiably endangers not only itself and the Commonwealth, but also the vulnerable children of this Commonwealth.”
As first reported by WVTF, VCU Health complied with the attorney general’s order.
“VCU Health and Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU have suspended gender-affirming medication and gender-affirming surgical procedures for those under 19 years old in response to clear guidance from the state provided to VCU,” said VCU Health spokesperson Danielle Pierce. “We are committed to ensuring that we’re always delivering care in accordance with the law. Appointments will be maintained to discuss specific care options for patients in compliance with the most recent guidance.”
UVA Health responded similarly, saying it had “suspended all gender-affirming care for patients under 19 years of age.”
“Like many health systems across the country, the University of Virginia and UVA Health are working to analyze and interpret the federal order and related state guidance, as well as monitoring other potential policy changes and impacts to ensure we are always delivering care in accordance with the law,” said UVA Health spokesperson Eric Swensen.
Reiterating aspects of the Trump order, Miyares warned the two universities there could be severe consequences for non-compliance, including the loss of “all medical and research grants from federal agencies” and being cut off from “participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.”
The attorney general, who is expected to face a tough re-election campaign this year with multiple Democrats gunning for the job, told the universities his office would be “closely monitoring this issue and the actions of the Commonwealth’s agencies.”
Miyares said his advice applied to treatments involving puberty blockers, sex hormones or surgeries that “that attempt to transform an individual’s physical appearance to align with an identity that differs from his or her sex.”
The attorney general’s office declined to comment further on its memo, which had an “Attorney Client Privilege” label that would presumably limit its broader release to the public.
“I can confirm that Attorney General Miyares has issued written guidance to his state clients and stands by that guidance,” said Miyares spokesman Shaun Keney.
In a press release this week, LGBTQ+ rights organization GLAAD blasted Trump’s order as “inaccurate and discriminatory.”
“Health care for transgender people is supported by every major medical association,” GLAAD said. “The Trump administration’s unhinged obsession with attacking transgender people and their health care does not reflect medical fact and does not represent the reality of trans people, youth, and their freedom to be themselves, and make their own health care decisions, without being discriminated against and lied about.”
(VCU is a sponsor of The Richmonder, but did not influence or review this story.)
