The Cleveland Clinic has agreed to stop providing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and other gender-transition treatments to minors as part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
One of Ohio’s largest and most influential healthcare systems has reached a landmark agreement with the Trump administration that will end the provision of so-called “gender-affirming care” for minors and establish millions of dollars in funding for patients seeking detransition treatment.
The Department of Justice announced Friday that Cleveland Clinic has entered into agreements with federal and state authorities that include a long-term commitment not to perform or offer what the administration calls “sex-rejecting procedures” on minors.
Key Points
• Cleveland Clinic agrees to stop providing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to minors
• Healthcare system will pay $308,000 and commit $2 million toward detransition care
• Agreement reached with DOJ and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost
The resolution comes amid an ongoing nationwide Justice Department investigation into medical providers offering gender-transition treatments to children and adolescents.
According to the DOJ, the agreement includes a decades-long commitment by Cleveland Clinic not to provide such treatments to minors.
DOJ: Providers are “on notice”
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said the settlement sends a message to healthcare providers across the country.
“The Department of Justice is steadfastly committed to protecting America’s children,” Woodward said.
“Just as the resolution with Texas Children’s, today’s resolution with Cleveland Clinic furthers that commitment and puts these providers on notice that this Department will vigorously enforce federal law where children are put at risk.”
The settlement follows a similar agreement announced last month involving Texas Children’s Hospital.
$2 million for detransition care
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the agreement is Cleveland Clinic’s commitment to fund medical care for detransitioners.
According to the Justice Department, the hospital system will dedicate $2 million to provide care for individuals who underwent gender-transition treatments as minors and later sought to reverse or address those interventions.
The funding will be available regardless of a patient’s insurance status or ability to pay.
The DOJ described the commitment as a “landmark” investment in care for detransitioners.
According to federal officials, the agreement also resolves allegations involving insurance billing practices connected to gender-transition treatments provided to minors.
Cleveland Clinic agreed to pay $308,000 as part of the settlement.
Cleveland Clinic receives cooperation credit
Despite the settlement, federal officials emphasized that Cleveland Clinic cooperated throughout the investigation.
The Justice Department said the healthcare system was “cooperative, proactive, and solution-driven” during discussions with investigators.
In announcing the resolution, Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate praised the hospital system’s willingness to participate in what the administration describes as corrective efforts.
“Cleveland Clinic’s commitment to providing millions of dollars towards care for detransitioners is emblematic of just that,” Shumate said.
“I am grateful for this resolution with Cleveland Clinic, but our work is far from over.”
Shumate added that the Justice Department will continue investigating providers and pharmaceutical companies involved in gender-transition treatments for minors.
Cleveland Clinic denies wrongdoing
The Justice Department noted that the settlement does not constitute an admission of liability.
“The claims resolved by the United States in the settlements are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability,” the department stated.
According to the DOJ, Cleveland Clinic has denied all allegations.
The agreement was reached in coordination with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and represents one of the most significant developments in Ohio’s ongoing debate over medical treatments for transgender minors.
Part of broader national effort
The Cleveland Clinic agreement follows the Justice Department’s recent settlement with Texas Children’s Hospital.
Federal officials said Texas Children’s agreed to pay a $10 million penalty, create a clinic focused on detransition care and permanently cease providing gender-transition procedures to minors.
The Trump administration has indicated additional investigations remain ongoing nationwide.
For Ohio, however, Friday’s announcement places one of the state’s most prominent healthcare institutions at the center of a growing national battle over transgender medical treatments for children and teenagers.
