Cleveland Clinic to Cease Sex Reassignment Procedures for Minors

Cleveland Clinic has agreed to halt sex reassignment procedures for minors and instead focus on providing detransition care when they reach the age of transition. This decision comes as part of a settlement with the Department of Justice (DOJ).

As outlined in the agreement announced recently, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation will pay a $308,000 fine to the DOJ and the Ohio attorney general. This is linked to allegations of false billing to secure funding for what is described as “gender-affirming treatment,” often referred to by advocates as “gender-affirming care.”

Additionally, the clinic will allocate $2 million towards “restorative care” for individuals opting to detransition back to their biological sex. The DOJ stated that these individuals, who may be facing severe repercussions from medical interventions they underwent as children or adolescents, will receive detransition care regardless of their insurance status or financial means.

The settlement stipulates that, for the next 20 years, Cleveland Clinic will cease certain medical interventions for patients under 18. Specifically, this includes:

• Administering puberty blockers, such as gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists or antagonists.
• Prescribing cross-sex hormones, like estrogen or testosterone, intended to induce characteristics associated with the opposite sex.
• Performing sex reassignment surgeries to alter primary or secondary sex characteristics, which encompasses various procedures including mastectomy, breast augmentation, and genital reconstruction.
• Scheduling gender reassignment surgery and preoperative tests.
• Implementing voice modification treatments aimed at altering a minor’s voice to reflect the opposite sex.

Deputy Attorney General Stanley Woodward remarked, “The Department of Justice is steadfastly committed to protecting America’s children. Today’s resolution with Cleveland Clinic sends a message to health care providers that this department will vigorously enforce federal law when children are at risk.”

Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate added, “Cleveland Clinic’s commitment to provide millions of dollars to care for detransitioners represents progress in addressing these issues.”

The DOJ recognized Cleveland Clinic’s cooperative approach during the settlement discussions.

This settlement follows a similar agreement between the DOJ and Texas Children’s Hospital, where that hospital agreed to a $10 million fine, permanently stop gender-denial interventions, and establish a clinic for transitioners seeking treatment.

Both agreements reflect key victories for the Trump administration’s stance against transgender ideology, further reinforced by an executive order from the President at the start of his second term.

The Ohio General Assembly has also enacted the Saving Ohio Youth from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, which limits medical care related to gender transitions for minors. Although this law came into effect in 2024, it is currently tied up in ongoing legal challenges, impacting its enforcement.