{"id":65713,"date":"2025-08-26T11:50:56","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T15:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/?p=65713"},"modified":"2025-08-26T17:46:01","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T21:46:01","slug":"under-federal-threat-university-of-michigan-to-end-gender-affirming-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-health-watch\/under-federal-threat-university-of-michigan-to-end-gender-affirming-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctors under pressure as U-M ends gender-affirming care for minors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The University of Michigan will no longer extend certain gender-affirming care to patients under age 19<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>U-M\u2019s decision comes as the Trump administration pressures doctors to end what it calls \u2018gender ideology extremism\u2019<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>For now, transgender care for minors remains legal in Michigan<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>The University of Michigan doctors will end gender-affirming care for minors under \u201cescalating external threats and risks\u201d of civil and criminal prosecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe University of Michigan, including Michigan Medicine, is one of multiple institutions across the country that has received a federal subpoena as part of a criminal and civil investigation into gender-affirming care for minors,\u201d read a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michiganmedicine.org\/news-release\/important-update-our-care-services\">statement released Monday evening<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn light of that investigation, and given escalating external threats and risks, we will no longer provide gender affirming hormonal therapies and puberty blocker medications for minors,\u201d it continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Ann Arbor-based school also posted a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mottchildren.org\/conditions-treatments\/ped-mend\/gender-management?pk_vid=72e33a403c0913a217562179249c94b4\">version of the statement<\/a> on its patient webpage, directing the message to \u201cgender diverse patients under the age of 19.\u201d It notes \u201cunprecedented legal and regulatory threats to our clinicians and our institution.\u201d<br><br>The statement ran under the same photo that months ago topped a page stating that U-M\u2019s transgender care \u201cis informed by evidence based professional guidelines for the care of gender diverse youth, including mental health and medical services to meet a person\u2019s gender goals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"532\" height=\"768\" data-attachment-id=\"65714\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/um-trans-care-screenshot\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UM-trans-care-screenshot.jpg?fit=532%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"532,768\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"UM trans care screenshot\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Last year, the University of Michigan marketed to \u201ctransgender, non-binary, and gender diverse children and adolescents\u201d but now is ending certain gender-affirming care. (Screenshot) &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UM-trans-care-screenshot.jpg?fit=208%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UM-trans-care-screenshot.jpg?fit=532%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UM-trans-care-screenshot.jpg?resize=532%2C768&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A screenshot of gender services at the University of Michigan.\" class=\"wp-image-65714\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UM-trans-care-screenshot.jpg?w=532&amp;ssl=1 532w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UM-trans-care-screenshot.jpg?resize=208%2C300&amp;ssl=1 208w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UM-trans-care-screenshot.jpg?resize=400%2C577&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UM-trans-care-screenshot.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 532px) 100vw, 532px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Last year, the University of Michigan marketed to \u201ctransgender, non-binary, and gender diverse children and adolescents\u201d but now is ending certain gender-affirming care. (Screenshot) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>At the time, the page read, the Gender Services team that serves \u201ctransgender, non-binary, and gender diverse children and adolescents\u201d would see \u201cpatients and families at any point in their process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A University of Michigan spokesperson did not answer Bridge questions about the number of minor patients in its care nor about the nature of the \u201cescalating external threats and risks,\u201d or who received them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spokesperson Mary Masson said, however, that the university will make referrals to other doctors for \u201cgender diverse\u201d patients and continue to provide other services, such as behavioral health and social work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe recognize the gravity and impact of this decision for our patients and our community. We are working closely with all those impacted, and we will continuously support the well-being of our patients, their families, and our teams,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The move is not altogether surprising.<br><br>Universities have faced increased pressure from the Trump administration to end what Trump calls \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/01\/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal-government\/\">gender ideology extremism<\/a>.\u201d Within eight days of taking office, he signed an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/01\/protecting-children-from-chemical-and-surgical-mutilation\/\">executive order<\/a> and has threatened to prosecute health care providers who provide transgender care \u2014 what the executive order calls \u201cchemical and surgical mutilation\u201d \u2014 to minors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Such care is legal in Michigan, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrc.org\/resources\/attacks-on-gender-affirming-care-by-state-map\">not everywhere in the US<\/a>. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and others have argued that the Trump administration is overstepping its authority. She and a coalition of more than a dozen other attorneys general filed <a href=\"https:\/\/ag.ny.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/court-filings\/commonwealth-of-massachusetts-et-al-v-donald-j-trump-et-al-complaint-2025.pdf\">a multistate lawsuit<\/a> against the Trump administration, arguing against its efforts to restrict access to transgender care to minors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Tuesday, she called U-M\u2019s announcement \u201cshameful, dangerous, and potentially illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Earlier this year, <a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/facing-dei-scrutiny-university-michigan-abandons-diversity-statements-hiring\/?_gl=1*wyzc5h*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3NTU3OTkxMjIuQ2owS0NRandoNXZGQmhDeUFSSXNBSEJ4Mnd5Q0pZbXh6OWo5WjhTWHN0VERUUFkwWldVQk1TNW9KZ0NZa1Z6UjFVV3p0ZHRSRkppRUZ6WWFBdWUwRUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_au*MTA1MDE2MTY2MS4xNzUyNjg5MzM4*_ga*NzM3OTkxMjM1LjE3NTM4MDU5MzM.*_ga_SDMLQHFB10*czE3NTYyMTY1NjUkbzM1JGcxJHQxNzU2MjE3MzU1JGoxNSRsMCRoMA..*_ga_1E2G9MSHX5*czE3NTYyMTY1NTkkbzM4JGcxJHQxNzU2MjE3MzQ3JGoyMyRsMCRoMA..*_ga_KX5CRZVP9F*czE3NTYyMTY1NTkkbzI5JGcxJHQxNzU2MjE3MzQ3JGoyMyRsMCRoMA..#:~:text=Facing%20DEI%20scrutiny%2C%20University%20of%20Michigan%20abandons%20%E2%80%98diversity%20statements%E2%80%99%20in%20hiring%20\">U-M<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/dei-rollbacks-hit-campus-support-systems-students-color-u-m\/\">other universities<\/a> backed off diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, too, under federal pressure. And universities have continued to <a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/gutted-michigan-losing-200m-fed-research-funding-more-limbo\/\">face funding cuts<\/a> in crucial research areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/michigan-republicans-aim-ban-gender-affirming-medication-surgery-minors\/\"><strong>Michigan Republicans aim to ban gender-affirming medication, surgery for minors<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/michigan-transgender-youths-continue-high-school-sports-despite-trump-order\"><strong>Michigan transgender youths to continue high school sports, despite Trump order<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/trans-teens-we-need-be-heard-counted-michigan-backlash-harsh\"><strong>Trans teens: We need to be heard, counted. In Michigan, the backlash is harsh<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bridgemi.com\/business-watch\/traverse-city-salon-banning-trans-clients-wont-be-last-business-battle\"><strong>Traverse City salon banning trans clients won\u2019t be last business battle<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A few universities have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/08\/11\/us\/us-universities-trump-administration\">stood ground<\/a> against the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-settlement-ivy-league-harvard-columbia-brown-8441ce30057c684084994ae53c0a2b92\">federal pressure<\/a> to change policies, but federal pressure \u2014 and threats \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/08\/19\/us\/politics\/trump-universities-financial-penalties.html\">continue to mount<\/a>. Spokespeople for both Wayne State and Michigan State universities said their doctors do not provide hormone therapy and puberty blockers for transgender care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Equality Michigan, which advocates for LGBTQ+ people, said members were \u201cdeeply disappointed and concerned\u201d by U-M\u2019s most recent decision. It called it \u201cyet another alarming move by a major healthcare institution to walk away from its responsibility to serve all patients \u2014 including some of our most vulnerable young people.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEven in making this harmful decision, the University of Michigan appears to acknowledge the legitimacy and value of gender-affirming care. Yet, it has chosen to retreat. This sends a chilling and damaging message to the very young people who most need affirmation, stability, and support,\u201d said Erin Knott, executive director of Equality Michigan, according to the statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The change may put pressure on other doctors, who also are watching developments in Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Latonya Riddle-Jones used to see patients as young as 15 at Detroit-based Corktown Health, a clinic providing care to LGBTQ+ people.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" data-attachment-id=\"65741\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/riddle-jones-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/riddle-jones.jpg?fit=1200%2C1199&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1200,1199\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"riddle-jones\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Gender-affirming care is more than prescriptions for hormones, said Dr. Latonya Riddle-Jones, who practices at Corktown Health in Detroit and teaches at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. (Courtesy photo)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/riddle-jones.jpg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/riddle-jones.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/riddle-jones-300x300.jpg?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Dr. Latonya Riddle-Jones headshot.\" class=\"wp-image-65741\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/riddle-jones.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/riddle-jones.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/riddle-jones.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/riddle-jones.jpg?resize=768%2C767&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/riddle-jones.jpg?resize=800%2C800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/riddle-jones.jpg?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/riddle-jones.jpg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/riddle-jones.jpg?resize=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/riddle-jones.jpg?resize=780%2C779&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/riddle-jones.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/riddle-jones-300x300.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gender-affirming care is more than prescriptions for hormones, said Dr. Latonya Riddle-Jones, who practices at Corktown Health in Detroit and teaches at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. (Courtesy photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>She stepped away for some time to teach, and when she returned earlier this year, Corktown had decided against seeing pediatric patients, in part, because of federal pressure, she said. Corktown relies on federal funding, as do many other providers \u2014 whether through research dollars, grant funding, or Medicaid or a combination of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe threats from the (Trump) administration are working,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, she and others say they can still provide other services \u2014 social work, counseling and treatment for anxiety and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychiatry.org\/patients-families\/gender-dysphoria\/what-is-gender-dysphoria\">gender dysphoria<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere is more to gender affirming care than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/gender-dysphoria\/in-depth\/pubertal-blockers\/art-20459075\">hormone blockers<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.issm.info\/sexual-health-qa\/what-is-cross-sex-hormone-therapy\/\">cross-sex hormones<\/a>,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Paul Benson has been providing care to LGBTQ+ patients since the 1980s. That includes thousands of adult patients of the Be Well Medical Center in Berkley who now receive transgender care, along with \u201ca few\u201d teenagers and adolescents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" data-attachment-id=\"65742\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/paul_benson_lobby\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/paul_benson_lobby-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1600&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1600\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;The lobby of Be Well Medical Center in Berkley, Mich., where Dr. Paul Benson has provided care to LGBTQ patients for decades. (Bridge photo by Brayan Gutierrez)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1756232127&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"paul_benson_lobby\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The lobby of Be Well Medical Center in Berkley, Mich., where Dr. Paul Benson has provided care to LGBTQ patients for decades. (Bridge photo by Brayan Gutierrez)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/paul_benson_lobby-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C188&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/paul_benson_lobby-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/paul_benson_lobby.jpg?resize=1024%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"The lobby of Be Well Medical Center in Berkley, Mich., where Dr. Paul Benson has provided care to LGBTQ patients for decades.\" class=\"wp-image-65742\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/paul_benson_lobby-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C640&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/paul_benson_lobby-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C188&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/paul_benson_lobby-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C480&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/paul_benson_lobby-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C960&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/paul_benson_lobby-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1280&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/paul_benson_lobby-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C750&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/paul_benson_lobby-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1250&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/paul_benson_lobby-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C488&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/paul_benson_lobby-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C250&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/paul_benson_lobby-1024x640.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Health care providers who rely on direct federal funding face the most pressure to abandon hormone therapy and puberty blockers for certain care for transgender youth, said Dr. Paul Benson at the Be Well Medical Center in Berkley. (Brayan Gutierrez for Bridge Michigan)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For now, the care will continue, he said. Like Riddle-Jones, he said hormone therapy is one component of a larger treatment plan that includes counseling. And for the most part, he advises against<s> <\/s>puberty blockers for minors, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI explain to people that transgender first starts from your heart,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can be a true transgender person in transition without hormone therapies when you&#8217;re young.\u201d<br><br>Especially for prepubescent patients, they can dress as they wish or use the pronouns they wish, without medication. His private practice has \u201cnever endorsed\u201d surgical care until adulthood, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By Tuesday morning, Benson had already heard from a parent of a U-M patient, seeking a continuation of care as the U-M treatment ends. Other doctors continue to provide care, but for how long depends on how much they rely on the federal government for funding \u2014 whether through grants or Medicaid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And there\u2019s something else, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI would \u2014 without a heartbeat \u2014 continue to provide all this care, except for one thing,\u201d he said. \u201cI&#8217;m 72 years old. I don&#8217;t want to live my life in jail \u2014 I&#8217;m not going to \u2026 jail over this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Under federal threat, University of Michigan to end gender-affirming care for patients under age 19. That puts pressure on other doctors, too. \u2018I\u2019m not going to jail over this,\u2019 says one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1142,"featured_media":65747,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-08-26T15:51:02Z","apple_news_api_id":"1bf5d068-6e16-4eca-82bb-2ef3727176ea","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-08-26T21:46:06Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AG_XQaG4WTsqCuy7zcnF26g","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[2446],"tags":[51],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[2469],"class_list":["post-65713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-michigan-health-watch","tag-michigan-colleges-and-universities","entry"],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Doctors under pressure as U-M ends gender-affirming care for minors - Bridge Michigan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-health-watch\/under-federal-threat-university-of-michigan-to-end-gender-affirming-care\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Doctors under pressure as U-M ends gender-affirming care for minors - Bridge Michigan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Under federal threat, University of Michigan to end gender-affirming care for patients under age 19. That puts pressure on other doctors, too. \u2018I\u2019m not going to jail over this,\u2019 says one.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-health-watch\/under-federal-threat-university-of-michigan-to-end-gender-affirming-care\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bridge Michigan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BridgeMichigan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-26T15:50:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-26T21:46:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DrPaulBenson-4-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Robin Erb\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@bridgemichigan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@bridgemichigan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Robin Erb\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-health-watch\/under-federal-threat-university-of-michigan-to-end-gender-affirming-care\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-health-watch\/under-federal-threat-university-of-michigan-to-end-gender-affirming-care\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Robin Erb\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#\/schema\/person\/921ed91016798b05f0cdcda6397644f1\"},\"headline\":\"Doctors under pressure as U-M ends gender-affirming care for minors\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-26T15:50:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-26T21:46:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-health-watch\/under-federal-threat-university-of-michigan-to-end-gender-affirming-care\/\"},\"wordCount\":1195,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-health-watch\/under-federal-threat-university-of-michigan-to-end-gender-affirming-care\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DrPaulBenson-4-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1440&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Michigan colleges and universities\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Michigan Health Watch\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-health-watch\/under-federal-threat-university-of-michigan-to-end-gender-affirming-care\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-health-watch\/under-federal-threat-university-of-michigan-to-end-gender-affirming-care\/\",\"name\":\"Doctors under pressure as U-M ends gender-affirming care for minors - Bridge Michigan\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-health-watch\/under-federal-threat-university-of-michigan-to-end-gender-affirming-care\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-health-watch\/under-federal-threat-university-of-michigan-to-end-gender-affirming-care\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DrPaulBenson-4-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1440&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-26T15:50:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-26T21:46:01+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-health-watch\/under-federal-threat-university-of-michigan-to-end-gender-affirming-care\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-health-watch\/under-federal-threat-university-of-michigan-to-end-gender-affirming-care\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-health-watch\/under-federal-threat-university-of-michigan-to-end-gender-affirming-care\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DrPaulBenson-4-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1440&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DrPaulBenson-4-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1440&ssl=1\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1440,\"caption\":\"Dr. Paul Benson has treated patients in the LGBTQ+ community since the early 1980s. 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Schuster","date":"May 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"New Michigan legislation would prohibit medical professionals from providing transgender minors with puberty blockers, hormone therapy or anatomy-alternating surgeries.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Michigan Government&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Michigan Government","link":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/category\/michigan-government\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Michigan Rep. Brad Paquette is at a podium. Sen. 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