Memorial Health ends gender-affirming surgeries for anyone under 19
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Memorial Health in Savannah is no longer providing gender-affirming surgery for transgender patients under 19.
This is in direct response to an executive order by the Trump administration.
Savannah Pride Center said that they are deeply troubled by this decision, that gender-affirming care is medically necessary for transgender patients.
'We should care because when it happens to our neighbor, it will eventually happen to us,' Bell said.
Memorial Health is the only hospital in the Savannah area that performs gender affirmation surgery under insurance for trans men and women. It's something Bell said is life-saving for many of the people they help.
'This is an opportunity for the city and medical providers and businesses to go beyond pride flags and move into real policy shifts that protect, nurture, and advance our LGBTQ community and other marginalized communities,' Bell said.
Memorial health told News 3 that they have performed some kinds of gender-affirming surgery, but have never had a full gender reassignment program.
They released this statement.
'Memorial Health has never had a gender-affirming surgical program which would require certain standards of care across multiple clinical disciplines. Like other hospitals, we have a responsibility to follow state and federal laws and regulations. For gender-affirming surgeries there are laws and regulations around age. We follow those. Licensed physicians use their training and experience to exercise independent medical judgment to assess patients' needs and determine the course of treatment within those laws and regulations.'
In response to that statement Savannah Pride released this.
'Savannah Pride Center is deeply disappointed in Memorial Health's decision to cancel all scheduled gender-affirming top surgeries and its attempt to obscure this fact when responding to why they made this move. While Memorial Health may not have officially designated a 'gender-affirming surgical program,' the reality is that licensed surgeons have been safely performing top surgeries for adult transgender patients at the health system for years. That changed last Thursday when the hospital abruptly canceled all upcoming gender-affirming top surgeries—leaving patients in distress and without critical care they had already been approved for.
No amount of carefully crafted wording can erase the fact that these cancellations are a direct disruption of vital, medically necessary care for transgender individuals in our community. Memorial Health's statement does not explain why these procedures were suddenly halted, nor does it acknowledge the harm this decision inflicts on those who had already planned for surgery. We call on Memorial Health to reaffirm its commitment to equitable, patient-centered care for all members of our community, including transgender individuals. The Savannah Pride Center stands with those affected, and we will continue to advocate for their right to access the medical care they need and deserve.'
We reached out to Memorial Health about the decision, and they referred us to the statement above.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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