Connecticut Children’s Medical Center has reached a settlement with the Department of Justice over its decision to stop providing gender-affirming care to transgender patients under 19, becoming the third hospital to resolve such a case under federal scrutiny.
Settlement terms leave care suspended
The agreement requires the hospital to maintain its current policy—no gender-affirming care for minors—for an unspecified period. It also imposes an undisclosed fine and sets aside $500,000 for patients who believe they were harmed by previously provided treatment. Pediatric gender-affirming care remains legal in Connecticut, despite the hospital’s pause.
Demand for the compensation fund may be limited. Detransition rates among transgender individuals are low, and the population affected is small. Similar settlements with Texas Children’s Hospital and Cleveland Clinic included requirements for detransition services, but uptake has been minimal.
Patient data collection raises privacy concerns
The settlement includes a provision that mirrors terms from the Texas agreement: Connecticut Children’s must maintain a confidential “Break the Glass List” of patients with gender dysphoria or related diagnoses. The hospital is required to update the list monthly and barred from removing names, regardless of changes in medical records.
The requirement does not appear in the Cleveland Clinic settlement. Privacy advocates have questioned whether such data collection could expose sensitive patient information as the DOJ continues to press hospitals for records.
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In Texas, the list extends beyond confirmed diagnoses. Hospitals must also track patients who could have received gender-affirming care based on diagnostic codes, even if no treatment was provided. The mandate applies for a decade.
Pressure campaigns shape hospital policies
Connecticut Children’s halted gender-affirming care for minors last summer amid a broader push by the Trump administration to restrict such treatments. The DOJ has since pursued settlements with multiple hospitals, framing the agreements as resolutions to alleged civil rights violations.
These cases reflect a shift in how federal agencies approach transgender care. Under the previous administration, the DOJ often defended access to such treatments. Now, it is using settlements to enforce compliance with state and federal restrictions, even in states where the care remains legal.
The settlements have drawn criticism from medical groups, which argue that political pressure is overriding clinical guidelines. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other organizations continue to support gender-affirming care for minors, citing evidence of its benefits for mental health.
For now, Connecticut Children’s will keep its policy in place. The hospital has not indicated when—or if—it will resume providing gender-affirming care to young patients.