Cleveland Clinic Stops Gender Surgeries, Offers 'Detransition'

The Cleveland Clinic. Photo: Wikipedia Commons

CLEVELAND, OH — The Cleveland Clinic has agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice that includes financial restitution for minors who later sought to reverse medical gender-transition interventions and a commitment to cease certain procedures on minors for the next two decades.

Under the agreement, announced by the Department of Justice, the Cleveland Clinic will provide $2 million intended to help cover medical expenses for individuals who received puberty blockers, surgeries, or other gender-transition-related treatments as minors and later pursued what is commonly known as "detransition." The settlement also stipulates that the healthcare system will not perform what the DOJ described as “sex-rejecting procedures” on minors for a period of 20 years.

Federal officials characterized the agreement as a significant development in ongoing efforts to address pediatric gender-transition practices. Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate praised the resolution and said the department would continue investigating and pursuing similar cases involving medical providers and pharmaceutical companies. The settlement follows a separate agreement reached last month with Texas Children’s Hospital, which included financial penalties and plans to establish a clinic for detransition-related care.

The decision drew criticism from transgender advocacy groups. TransOhio issued a statement expressing concern that the agreement would further restrict access to gender-transition-related medical care for minors in the state. The organization argued that transgender youth would continue to seek support despite changes in healthcare policy and institutional practices.

Previously, the UOJ reported that a Chicago hospital paused gender-reassignment drugs for minors.

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