- Texas Children's Hospital will open the first U.S. clinic to reverse gender transition procedures on minors.
- The settlement requires a $10 million payment, the firing of five doctors, and a permanent ban on pediatric gender care.
- The new detransition clinic will provide free services for five years to help reverse damage from puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries.
- The Justice Department called the settlement a first step in a national crackdown on pediatric transition care.
- Federal investigations continue into other hospitals, including a criminal probe in New York City.
The largest children's hospital in the United States will become the first American medical institution to open a clinic specifically designed to reverse the effects of gender transition procedures on minors, following a landmark settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Texas Children's Hospital in Houston agreed to pay over $10 million in damages, dismiss five doctors who performed pediatric gender treatments, and permanently end all gender-affirming care for minors. The settlement, announced Friday, resolves a years-long investigation into whether the hospital fraudulently billed Texas Medicaid for "unallowable and illegal 'gender-transition' interventions," according to Paxton's office.
A historic first in American medicine
The new "detransition clinic" will provide multidisciplinary services to help patients reverse damage caused by puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries. For the first five years, all services will be provided free of charge to patients, funded entirely by Texas Children's Hospital.
Paxton celebrated the settlement as "a monumental day in the fight to stop the radical transgender movement." In his statement, Paxton declared: "This historic settlement reflects an institutional and fundamental cultural shift away from radical 'gender' ideology."
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche welcomed the resolution as the first in the DOJ's ongoing national investigation into pediatric transition care. Blanche stated: "The Justice Department will use every weapon at its disposal to end the destructive and discredited practice of so-called 'gender-affirming care' for children."
Five doctors dismissed
Under the settlement agreement, five unidentified physicians who performed gender transition procedures on minors at the hospital will be fired. Paxton's office described them as doctors who "harmed patients by performing dangerous medical interventions for the purpose of 'transitioning' them."
The hospital agreed to permanently terminate these doctors' privileges and never again hire or credential them. Texas Children's will also amend its bylaws to trigger automatic relinquishment of privileges for any doctor who violates the state's ban on gender-affirming care for minors.
Detransitioner Chloe Cole praised the decision in a social media post: "What an incredible moment for the movement to end child mutilation. Texas will be home to the first clinic that helps victims of these barbaric procedures to get back to normalcy."
Hospital defends its decision
Texas Children's Hospital, while settling, denied any wrongdoing. In a statement, the hospital said it decided to settle "to protect our resources from endless and costly litigation" and return to focusing on patient care.
"We stand proud knowing we will always put our purpose over politics and that we have and will continue to follow the law," the hospital stated. A hospital spokesperson added that the detransition clinic "will formalize the supportive, multidisciplinary services we already deliver to all patients who need our care."
The hospital had previously described controversies surrounding its gender-affirming care program as an "unconscionable campaign of mistruths and mischaracterization" in a now-deleted statement.
Broader federal crackdown
The settlement marks a significant victory for opponents of pediatric gender medicine. The DOJ is investigating providers across the country, including a criminal probe involving one of New York City's major hospital networks, for providing hormone therapy and surgeries to minors.
As the first detransition clinic in the nation prepares to open its doors, the message from law enforcement is unmistakable. The era of sterilizing children for profit is ending, replaced by accountability and a return to medical ethics grounded in protecting the vulnerable.
For the countless young people who now carry permanent physical scars from procedures they were told would help them, this Houston clinic represents more than a settlement. It offers a chance at healing and a warning that those who profited from their harm will face justice.
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