On Friday, the Trump administration was sued by three Democratic states for its directive to stop federal financing for gender-affirming care for transgender individuals under the age of 19.
The federal action was brought in the Western District of Washington by Nick Brown, the state attorney general for Washington. In addition, three physicians and the attorneys general of Minnesota and Oregon joined as plaintiffs. According to the complaint, transgender people are subjected to discrimination under the decree.
Attorney General Dan Rayfield of Oregon stated in a statement that this is an obvious instance of government overreach. Individual rights are violated when financing for gender-affirming care is prohibited, depriving persons of the respect and medical attention they are entitled to.
Last month, Trump issued an executive order ordering federally administered insurance programs, such as Medicaid and TRICARE for military families, to not fund such care. Additionally, it urges the Department of Justice to oppose it through legislation and legal action.
In certain states, gender-affirming care is covered under Medicaid programs. Targeting hospitals and colleges that get federal funding and offer the care, the new order raises the possibility that the practice may be discontinued.
The case follows a related lawsuit filed earlier this week in a federal court in Baltimore by families with transgender or nonbinary children.
While the legal battles continue, some providers have stopped providing transgender youth with gender-affirming care, and New York officials have informed hospitals that stopping the services would be illegal.
OHSU claims that despite the Trump executive order, gender-affirming care will remain unchanged.
Federal funding may be cut off by President Donald Trump’s order restricting programs for transgender youngsters, but it will undoubtedly be challenged in court.
Apart from the directives regarding health care access and the definition of the sexes as unalterable, Trump has also issued orders that establish new guidelines for gender education in schools and pave the way for the exclusion of transgender individuals from military service.
Additionally, on Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order that would prohibit transgender athletes from playing women’s and girls’ sports.
The military order and a plan to transfer transgender women in federal prisons to men’s facilities have already been challenged in court. Similar to how several of Trump’s measures have been challenged, more are probably going to be filed.
Although surgery is uncommon for children, researchers have discovered that less than one in 1,000 adolescents receive the care, which includes hormone therapies, puberty blockers, and other treatments.
There has been strong opposition as transgender people have become more visible and accepted in some ways. Laws restricting or outlawing the care of children have been passed in at least 26 states. Despite hearing arguments last year, the U.S. Supreme Court has not yet issued a decision about the constitutionality of Tennessee’s ban on the care.
The Associated Press
