Leticia James ordered the hospital to resume gender transition treatment for minors

New York Attorney General Letitia James is directing a Manhattan hospital to resume sex-transition treatment for transgender youth after ending such treatment last month due to funding threats from the Trump administration.

NYU Langone’s decision to close its transgender youth health program “violated the state’s anti-discrimination law by jeopardizing access to medically necessary health care for some vulnerable New Yorkers,” James wrote in a Feb. 25 letter made public for the first time this week.

James’ office threatened “further action” if the transgender youth did not immediately resume hormone therapy, puberty blockers and other treatments.

New York Attorney General Letitia James is instructing a Manhattan hospital to resume sex-transition treatment for transgender youth. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

NYU Langone, one of the city’s largest hospital systems, said last month it would stop providing some sex-transmission treatment for patients under 19.

“Due to the recent departure of our medical director, along with the current regulatory environment, we have made the difficult decision to close our transgender youth health program,” NYU Langone spokesman Steve Ritia said in a statement at the time. “We are committed to helping the patients in our care manage this change. This does not affect our child mental health care programs, which will continue.”

The hospital stopped admitting new patients to its transgender youth program last year after the president became president By Donald Trump The executive order, titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” aims to ban sex-transmission treatment for people under 19.

The US Department of Health and Human Services has announced a proposal to cut federal Medicaid and Medicare funding to hospitals that offer this treatment to transgender youth. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)

Referring to Trump’s order, the US Department of Health and Human Services later released a proposal Cut federal Medicaid and Medicare funding Hospitals that offer this treatment to transgender youth.

But a Feb. 25 letter signed by Darshana Srinivasan, the attorney general’s health care bureau chief, said the proposal did not officially change federal law and did not affect “existing duties and obligations of a medical institution under New York law.”

“Suddenly shutting down medically necessary transgender healthcare can have serious, negative consequences health consequencesSrinivasan wrote. “Accordingly, the Attorney General is deeply concerned by your organization’s decision to stop providing care to this vulnerable, minority population.”

Letitia James sued HHS for tying up federal funds to transfer the policy

NYU Langone said last month it would stop providing some sex-transmission treatment for patients under 19. (via Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg Getty Images)

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The letter has given the hospital until March 11 to show its compliance, although it is not clear what steps will be taken if it fails to resume treatment.

Several other hospitals across the country have stopped treating transgender youth due to Trump’s executive order and funding threats.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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