Oklahoma Children's Hospital to halt 'certain gender medicine services' after state places restrictions on funding

 Oklahoma Children's Hospital, part of the Oklahoma University Health system, plans to halt "certain gender medicine services," OU Health said in a statement to the Daily Caller on Tuesday.

The hospital's website states that it currently offers gender-related services to minors under its Roy G. Biv program, including "pausing puberty to further explore gender," hormone therapy, and assistance finding surgeons willing to perform gender-altering surgery on minors.

Oklahoma Children's Hospital is the "only interdisciplinary clinic in the state that provides gender-affirming care to patients under the age of 16 years," according to its website. Additionally, it is "designated an LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Leader by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation."

An OU Health representative told the news organization that the current gender programs offered at the children's hospital are facing cuts because of new restrictions added to Oklahoma bill HB1007 on Monday.

"The OU Health Senior Leadership team is proactively planning the ceasing of certain gender medicine services across our facilities and that plan is already under development," OU Health told the Daily Caller.  

During a special season on Monday, the Oklahoma House of Representatives added restrictions to HB1007 that prevent state funding from being used to perform "gender reassignment medical treatment." 

The new version of the bill noted that the state would provide the university hospital with $39.4 million that cannot be used for hormone therapy or sex reassignment surgeries on minors.

OU Health told the Daily Caller that the state funds would be used to provide "significant health benefits," including "deliver[ing] the most advanced inpatient and outpatient resources in the country for young people who need mental and behavioral health care."

Oklahoma state Rep. Kevin West (R) expressed his approval of the new restrictions in a Monday statement.

"I'm thankful for language in this bill that protects children from the practice of mutilation through gender reassignment medical treatment," he said. "This unbelievably harmful practice cannot be reversed, and has lasting physical and psychological consequences that can damage these children for the rest of their lives." 

West stated that when the legislature returns to regular session, he will pursue a statewide ban on gender reassignment services for minors.

"Passing this legislation now will provide protections for children, and we can further expand those protections when we come back in the spring, " West stated. "The radical Left may be making a national push to try and allow the mutilation of our children to become mainstream, but here in Oklahoma we have to stand up for our kids and say enough is enough."