Letitia James Allegedly Puts Children at Risk by Urging NY Hospitals to Disregard Transgender Care Order

What’s more crucial: Playing politics or safeguarding children?

New York Attorney General Letitia James has made her choice — and it’s misguided. She appears willing to risk the safety of children for her political ambitions.

This disheartening reality emerges as AG James urges NYU Langone — one of New York’s key hospitals — to resume transgender treatments for minors.

The hospital halted these treatments following an executive order from President Trump limiting such interventions for patients aged 18 and under.

If NYU Langone were to resume these treatments, it could jeopardize billions of dollars in critical federal funding necessary for treating numerous other patients. Essentially, yielding to AG James’s demands would amount to self-destruction for the hospital.

Even aside from financial considerations, NYU Langone should remain steadfast.

The hospital acted correctly in aligning with Trump’s directive — one founded on sound medical science and fundamental medical ethics.

Here are the realities that AG James might be unaware of, or chooses to ignore:

Firstly, transgender treatments pose a direct threat to a child’s mental and physical well-being.

A significant number of children grappling with gender confusion also deal with mental health and behavioral challenges, such as depression, attention deficit disorders, and autism.

These children require appropriate medical support, typically in the form of psychiatric care.

What they do not need are experimental, invasive, and irreversible treatments that fundamentally alter their developing minds and bodies.

Transgender treatments can be extremely hazardous for minors, including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender-affirming surgeries.

The first two kinds of treatment involve medications that change their physiology and hinder them from reaching typical developmental milestones.

The latter — surgical procedures — can entail the removal of a teenage girl’s breasts or a teenage boy’s penis.

Activists assert that children who undergo these treatments are more content. However, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that this isn’t true.

A growing number of individuals who transitioned as minors are now seeking to “de-transition.”

I collaborate with a young woman named Chloe Cole, who began her transition at age 12. By 16, she realized the grave mistake she had made.

However, her body has been permanently changed. She requires continuous physical and mental health care.

Chloe is not alone. Evidence increasingly indicates that children subjected to this form of abuse often experience more challenging lives.

Some even resort to suicide — the very outcome activists claim these transgender treatments are designed to prevent.

What were the activists expecting? They’re encouraging confused children to become something they’re not, leading them straight to turmoil.

Children lack the capacity to give informed consent for such life-altering choices. At the very least, they should not be allowed to embark on this path until they reach adulthood.

Don’t just take my word for it. An increasing number of European nations are examining the evidence and concluding that for minors, the real-world dangers surpass any alleged advantages of transgender treatments.

The United Kingdom, renowned for its progressive stance, has restricted children’s access to these treatments following a shocking report last year.

Consider this: These countries are far more liberal than the U.S., yet they’re taking proactive measures to protect children.

Donald Trump is following suit, and over half the states have enacted laws safeguarding minors as well.

And then there’s New York — and Letitia James.

Ignoring the facts and the immense damage already inflicted on many individuals, AG James is pushing to put even more children at risk.

If she prevails, countless children will have their bodies and minds devastated, and many will come to regret their decisions.

Moreover, many will discover they cannot revert their changes — all because politicians like AG James prioritize selfish political gains over the well-being of vulnerable young patients.

NYU Langone should remain resolute. This issue transcends mere compliance with new federal policies and the protection of federal funding. It’s about adhering to the evidence and championing children’s safety.

It’s evident that Letitia James is indifferent to the plight of these kids. Thankfully, while she engages in political maneuvers to satisfy activists, President Trump and the leaders at NYU Langone are striving to safeguard these children’s lives.

Stanley Goldfarb, MD, a former associate dean at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, chairs Do No Harm.