NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Memphis hospital says it has paused, not stopped, its transgender medical procedures in response to possible legal action by civil rights advocates who argue the hospital’s move is illegal and discriminatory.
Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee accused Memphis-based Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare of halting all transgender surgeries due to a newly adopted policy. The ACLU said its client, 19-year-old Chris Evans, was scheduled for surgery in November but was alerted less than a week before the procedure that it had been canceled.
The hospital, known as MLH, said in a statement that it has not changed its practices “regarding the treatment of transgender and/or non-binary patients.”
“In recent weeks, some care providers voiced questions about patients receiving gender affirming procedures at a facility affiliated with our health system,” spokesperson Rachel Powers said. “This resulted in a temporary pause to review current practices.”
The ACLU demanded in a letter to the hospital that officials reschedule its client’s surgery by the end of the year and “rectify its unlawful actions.” The ACLU also threatened to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.