Montana Families Face Growing Barriers too Gender-Affirming Care
A wave of hospital closures is leaving Montana families scrambling for vital medical care for their transgender children, raising concerns about access, affordability, and teh well-being of vulnerable youth. The situation highlights a national trend driven by political pressure and fears over funding, even as major medical organizations affirm the appropriateness of gender-affirming care.
E, a Montana mother, is deeply worried about the safety of her family, compounded by the challenges of accessing care for her daughter, who has consistently identified as female. Her daughter, on the cusp of puberty, had been preparing to begin puberty blockers and eventually hormone therapy at Community Medical Center in Missoula.
“She’s happy and doing well, and looking forward to continuing that journey,” E shared. However, those plans were abruptly derailed when the hospital shuttered it’s gender clinic for minors in June.
For her daughter, the closure was a shock. “to her, it just wasn’t even a thought that it wouldn’t happen.And so she was like, no, well, I’m a girl, so when I go through puberty, I’m going through girl puberty,” E explained, illustrating her daughter’s simple expectation of receiving appropriate medical support.
The decision by Community Medical Center comes amidst increasing political scrutiny. Opponents of gender-affirming care, including the Trump administration, characterize it as harmful and advocate for protecting children from what they deem irreversible consequences. Though, surgical interventions for gender dysphoria in minors are exceedingly rare. Despite a recent Montana Supreme Court ruling upholding the legality of gender care for minors, Community Medical Center cited a rapidly changing “regulatory and legislative habitat” as the reason for its closure, declining to provide further comment.
The closure leaves Montana without any in-state options for gender-affirming care for minors. E now faces a daunting seven-hour drive to Seattle Children’s Hospital, a journey she’s unsure she can financially manage.”And it’s just heartbreaking,” she said.
Lindsey Dawson, a health policy researcher with KFF, a nonpartisan institution, confirms this is not an isolated incident. “And this includes in both red and blue states and purple states,” dawson stated. “So there have been reports in California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Montana now.” Hospitals across the country are curtailing these services due to the threat of losing federal funding.
The impact on transgender youth is profound. Research indicates that transgender youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their cisgender peers. Liz,an 18-year-old transgender woman in Missoula,expressed her disappointment and concern.
Speaking through an intermediary due to safety concerns, Liz stated (as read by another person), “I feel it’s their job as health care providers, is to stand up to this and to say, this is care that saves lives, which they didn’t do.”
Liz is now planning to travel to Seattle for care, but worries about the capacity of the hospital to absorb a surge in patients. “They’re going to see even more of an influx of patients. And can they take that many people? How far out does their wait list become?” she questioned.
Seattle Children’s Hospital did not respond to requests for comment regarding its capacity or future plans. Liz fears that Seattle could become the next facility to restrict access, leaving her and others without essential treatment.
(source: NPR News, Aaron Bolton, Columbia Falls, Montana)
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