Over a dozen officials from a Democratic-controlled state have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, aiming to prevent access to sex reassignment procedures and treatments for individuals under 19.
The lawsuit, brought before the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, claims that the administration is attempting to impose a nationwide ban on gender-affirming procedures by threatening healthcare providers with potential criminal charges and investigations.
“The federal government is running a cruel and targeted harassment campaign against healthcare providers who offer legal, life-saving care to children,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, the chief advocate in the lawsuit.
Major Hospitals in Connecticut Alter Youth Gender Programs Amidst Changing Policies
“This administration is relentlessly targeting young people who are already facing enormous barriers just to receive care, putting countless lives at risk,” she continued. “In New York and across the nation, we will never stop fighting for the dignity, security, and fundamental rights of the transgender community.”
The defendants in the lawsuit include President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the Justice Department. The action challenges Trump’s January 28 executive order regarding government support for gender transition and two memos issued by Bondi and Attorney General Brett Schmate.
One memo from Bondi instructs the Justice Department to pursue investigations and prosecutions against those providing gender transition treatments to minors. Schmate’s memo emphasizes prioritizing cases involving doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies engaged in these procedures.
The Justice Department has begun probes into three children’s hospitals suspected of offering such treatments.
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White House spokesman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital, “On his first day, President Trump took decisive action to stop the sleazy amputation and chemical castration of children, garnering overwhelming support from everyday Americans. The President has the legal right to protect vulnerable American children through executive action, and the administration looks forward to a decisive victory on this matter.”
In July, Kaiser Permanente announced it would halt gender-affirming surgeries for patients under 19, starting August 29, in response to the Trump administration’s actions. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles also closed its Center for Transyouth Health and Development, one of the largest clinics for transgender youth in the nation.
Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC, has similarly announced the discontinuation of gender transition-related medical interventions.
“These changes are framed by the defendant as illegal and dishonest targeting, resulting in the end of healthcare for transgender individuals under 19,” the complaint asserts.
Many states have laws that restrict or ban sex reassignment surgeries for minors. The lawsuit includes states such as California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, DC, and Wisconsin, which allow such treatments.
Meanwhile, other countries have also tightened regulations surrounding the transition process for children. For instance, the UK banned adolescent blockers in March, a class of drugs used to suppress sex hormones in adolescents undergoing treatment for gender dysphoria.
