Introduction to the Lawsuit
Seventeen Democratic officials have accused President Donald Trump’s administration of unlawfully intimidating health care providers into stopping gender-affirming care for transgender youth in a lawsuit filed Friday. The complaint comes after a month in which at least eight major hospitals and hospital systems — all in states where the care is allowed under state law — announced they were stopping or restricting the care. The latest announcement came Thursday from UI Health in Chicago.
Background on the Issue
Trump’s administration announced in July that it was sending subpoenas to providers and focusing on investigating them for fraud. It later boasted in a news release that hospitals are halting treatments. The Democratic officials say Trump’s policies are an attempt to impose a nationwide ban on the treatment for people under 19 — and that’s unlawful because there’s no federal statute that bans providing the care to minors. The suit was filed by attorneys general from 15 states and the District of Columbia, plus the governor of Pennsylvania, in U.S. District Court in Boston.
Reaction from Officials
“The federal government is running a cruel and targeted harassment campaign against providers who offer lawful, lifesaving care to children,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. Trump and others who oppose the care say that it makes permanent changes that people who receive it could come to regret — and maintain that it’s being driven by questionable science. Since 2021, 28 states with Republican-controlled legislatures have adopted policies to ban or restrict gender-affirming care for minors. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states have a right to enforce those laws.
The Medical Centers’ Response
The Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the biggest public provider of gender-affirming care for children in teens in the U.S., closed in July. At least seven other major hospitals and health systems have made similar announcements, including Children’s National in Washington D.C., UChicago Medicine and Yale New Haven Health. Kaiser Permanente, which operates in California and several other states, said it would pause gender-affirming surgeries for those under 19 as of the end of August, but would continue hormone therapy. Connecticut Children’s Medical Center cited “an increasingly complex and evolving landscape” for winding down care.
Trump’s Administration Actions
Trump devoted a lot of attention to transgender people in his campaign last year as part of a growing pushback from conservatives as transgender people have gained visibility and acceptance on some fronts. Trump criticized gender-affirming care, transgender women in women’s sports, and transgender women’s use of women’s facilities such as restrooms. On his inauguration day in January, Trump signed an executive order defining the sexes as only male and female for government purposes, setting the tone for a cascade of actions that affect transgender people. About a week later, Trump called to stop using federal money, including from Medicaid, for gender-affirming care for those under 19.
The Impact on Families
For families with transgender children, the state laws and medical center policy changes have sparked urgent scrambles for treatment. Kristen Salvatore’s 15-year-old child started hormone therapy late last year at Penn State Health. Salvatore said in an interview with The Associated Press before the lawsuit was announced that it was a major factor in reduced signs of anxiety and depression. Last month, the family received official notice from the health system that it would no longer offer the hormones for patients under 19 after July 31, though talk therapy can continue. Salvatore has been struggling to find a place that’s not hours away from their Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, home that would provide the hormones and accept Medicaid coverage.
Conclusion
The lawsuit filed by the Democratic officials is a significant step in challenging the Trump administration’s actions on gender-affirming care. The administration’s policies have already had a profound impact on families with transgender children, who are struggling to access the care they need. As the lawsuit makes its way through the courts, it is likely to have far-reaching implications for the future of gender-affirming care in the United States.
FAQs
Q: What is gender-affirming care?
A: Gender-affirming care includes a range of medical and mental health services to support a person’s gender identity, including when it’s different from the sex they were assigned at birth. It includes counseling and treatment with medications that block puberty, and hormone therapy to produce physical changes, as well as surgery, which is rare for minors.
Q: Why are hospitals stopping gender-affirming care?
A: Hospitals are stopping gender-affirming care due to political and legal pressure from the Trump administration, which has sent subpoenas to providers and announced investigations into health care fraud.
Q: What is the impact of the Trump administration’s policies on families with transgender children?
A: The Trump administration’s policies have sparked urgent scrambles for treatment among families with transgender children, who are struggling to access the care they need.
Q: What is the significance of the lawsuit filed by the Democratic officials?
A: The lawsuit is a significant step in challenging the Trump administration’s actions on gender-affirming care and has far-reaching implications for the future of gender-affirming care in the United States.
