Cudahy child denied gender-affirming care under Trump order; mother pushes back

Cudahy child denied gender-affirming care under Trump order

A Cudahy mother said her child is being denied gender-affirming care after President Donald Trump signed an order stopping funding for medical treatment.

CUDAHY, Wis. - A Cudahy mother said her child is being denied gender-affirming care after President Donald Trump signed an order stopping funding for medical treatment.

Trump's executive order

What we know:

The president signed the executive order "protect children from chemical and surgical mutilation" last week aiming to end federal support for gender transitions for people under 19.

Child's treatment ends

Local perspective:

Sarah Moskonas is concerned for her daughter's mental health. This week, her 13-year-old's hormone therapy appointment at Children's Wisconsin was canceled.

Moskonas does not wish to identify her child but said she took the news hard.

"We don't want to see her back slide into a dark space," Moskonas said. "On Friday we received a call from Children’s [Wisconsin] that they were no longer able to treat my daughter due to the executive orders passed by the current administration [...] It was huge and tremendously devastating for her."

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Her daughter was scheduled to start estrogen on Monday to further delay her biological puberty. 

What they're saying:

"I remember my daughter crying and being very upset and this was several years ago, and she just said, ‘I don’t want to grow a beard, I just don’t want my voice to change, that's just not who I am, and I don’t want that.’ And at that time we said, ‘We’re not going to let that happen to you and we have to deliver on that promise.’"

Sarah Moskonas

What's next:

Moskonas said she’s working with LGBTQ+ support groups and considering legal action for her family. 

"I am not trying to pick a fight with the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. I think they do great work," she said. "I’m not wishing to bring them to legal calamity, but I need them to step up and protect children."

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Children's Wisconsin has not responded to FOX6 News.

Attorney General Josh Kaul has joined a coalition to protect access to gender-affirming care.

"As state attorneys general, we stand firmly in support of health care policies that respect the dignity and rights of all people. Health care decisions should be made by patients, families, and doctors, not by a politician trying to use his power to restrict your freedoms," Kaul said in a statement. "Gender-affirming care is essential, life-saving medical treatment that supports individuals in living as their authentic selves. The Trump Administration’s recent Executive Order is wrong on the science and the law."