President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday to end federal support for medical procedures aimed at altering sex or gender that involve surgical interventions or the use of puberty blockers or sex hormones in those under 19 years old.

“Accordingly, it is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures,” the order states.

Medicine and surgery can be used in the broader practice known as gender-affirming care, but such interventions are typically reserved for adults. International guidelines do not recommend medical or surgical intervention before transgender children reach puberty. Even for older teens and adults, surgery is relatively rare, research shows.

More context: For children, gender-affirming care is defined by the American Academy of Pediatrics as developmentally appropriate, nonjudgmental treatment that’s provided in a safe clinical space. The care is individualized and based on peer-reviewed scientific studies that show its effectiveness.

Major mainstream medical associations — including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the Endocrine Society, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry — have affirmed the practice of gender-affirming care and agree that it’s clinically appropriate care that can provide life-saving treatment for children and adults.

The executive order directs federal agencies to withdraw policies based on World Professional Association for Transgender Health guidance, which the order claims lacks scientific credibility, although these guidelines are considered by experts in this practice of medicine to be the gold standard around the world.

Source: CNN