Executive Order 14187

Executive Order 14187, titled "Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation", is an executive order issued by Donald Trump on January 28, 2025. Part of a broader targeting of transgender people, the order acts to prevent gender-affirming care for Americans under 19 years old by withholding federal funding and directing agencies to take a variety of steps to prevent surgeries, hormone therapy, the use of puberty blockers, and other gender-affirming treatments.

In response, some hospitals paused providing gender-affirming care for minors, while others continued. Attorneys general from 15 states said their states are committed to continuing to provide gender-affirming care to minors. Multiple groups filed lawsuits challenging the legality of the executive order. In response to one of the lawsuits, several federal judges issued injunctions blocking the government from withholding federal funds from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to minors. Following the injunctions, some hospitals that initially paused gender-affirming care for minors resumed the care.

On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump signed executive order Executive Order 14168 ("Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government"), which described transgender identity as an ideology. On January 27, 2025, Donald Trump signed executive order Executive Order 14183 ("Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness") which stated that the policy of United States military readiness is "inconsistent with the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals with gender dysphoria" and that beyond that, being trans "conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life." This order is seen as consistent with these prior orders.

The order described gender-affirming care for minors as "chemical and surgical mutilation of children" as well as "maiming" and "sterilizing". It stated "countless children" who received such care would regret a "horrifying tragedy that they will never be able to conceive children of their own or nurture their children through breastfeeding." The order also described the World Professional Association for Transgender Health's (WPATH) guidance as "junk science".

The order states that the U.S. Federal Government will not "fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called 'transition' of a child from one sex to another." Its provisions include:

In February 2025, the Office of Personnel Management announced that insurance carriers that provide health insurance coverage to Federal employees under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program will no longer be allowed to provide coverage for gender-affirming care for minors. Carriers must identify any resulting premium reductions and incorporate those reductions into their 2026 rates. Carriers may continue to offer coverage for gender-affirming care for persons 19 years old and older, but they are not required to do so.

In May 2025, the United States Department of Health and Human Services published a report titled Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices. The report promotes gender exploratory therapy, a form of conversion therapy intended to delay or prevent someone suffering gender dysphoria from seeking gender transition.

In the summer of that year, the Department of Justice began sending subpoenas to "over 20" hospitals demanding the full records of trans patients who received medical care under 19 - including their names, social security numbers, doctors' notes, and treatments prescribed.