A coalition of Democrat-led states filed a lawsuit on Tuesday challenging the Trump administration’s move to cut off federal funding for hospitals that perform transgender medical procedures on minors.
Led by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, the lawsuit targets the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over its newly issued rules that bar hospitals offering such procedures from participating in federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid. The Democrat attorneys general argue the measures are politically motivated and could jeopardize care for children identifying as transgender.
“By targeting Oregon providers, HHS is putting care at risk and forcing families to choose between their personal health care choices and their doctor’s ability to practice,” Rayfield claimed. “Healthcare decisions belong with families and their healthcare providers, not the government.”
The lawsuit, joined by California, New York, Wisconsin, and more than a dozen other Democrat-controlled states, accuses HHS of violating both the Administrative Procedure Act and Medicare/Medicaid statutes. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also signed onto the legal challenge.
The plaintiffs claim that so-called “gender-affirming care” is safe and effective for minors, citing studies that report high satisfaction rates and low regret among patients. Their brief states: “Research and clinical data support gender-affirming care as a safe and effective treatment for gender dysphoria in adolescents.”
However, that claim is contradicted by a growing body of evidence and medical warnings. Critics note that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones can lead to permanent sterilization, reduced bone density, altered brain development, and long-term mental and physical harm. Some of the procedures defended in the lawsuit include double mastectomies for teenage girls and genital surgeries for minors identifying as the opposite sex.
The HHS rule, posted last week, declares that hospitals providing these procedures to individuals under the age of 19 will be ineligible for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. It also blocks Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) dollars from funding such treatments.
“Nearly all U.S. hospitals participate in Medicare and Medicaid, and this action is designed to ensure that the U.S. government will not be in business with organizations that intentionally or unintentionally inflict permanent harm on children,” a background memo from HHS stated.
The move comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this year directing his administration to “end all support and funding for transgender procedures on children,” citing a moral and medical obligation to protect America’s youth from what he called “irreversible, politically driven experimentation.”
The lawsuit sets up a legal clash over whether federal funds can be conditioned on medical ethics standards that reject transgender interventions on minors—an issue that is expected to escalate all the way to the Supreme Court.
The post Democrats Sue Trump Over Efforts To Protect Children From Trans Procedures appeared first on Real News Now.
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