A coalition of 19 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia has filed a lawsuit challenging new federal restrictions on so-called “gender-affirming” medical treatments for minors, arguing the policy unlawfully threatens health care access and state Medicaid programs.
The lawsuit targets a recent declaration issued by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which vows to withhold Medicare and Medicaid funding from health care providers that offer puberty blockers, hormone therapies, or gender-related surgeries to minors. HHS deemed the treatments unsafe, ineffective, and inconsistent with accepted medical standards of care.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, whose state is among the plaintiffs, said the policy places families in an impossible position by forcing them to choose between medical decisions and their providers’ ability to operate. The lawsuit argues the declaration has “immediate, significant, and harmful impacts” on states that administer Medicaid and regulate medical practice.
Kennedy defended the decision, citing a peer-reviewed Health Department report that favors psychotherapy over medical interventions for minors experiencing gender dysphoria. “This is not medicine, it is malpractice,” Kennedy said, adding that such procedures permanently harm children.
While several European countries — including Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland — have restricted or discouraged gender-affirming treatments for minors, major U.S. medical groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics have condemned the HHS declaration.
The states’ lawsuit also claims HHS unlawfully bypassed required public notice and comment procedures. Two related proposed rules to formally cut off federal funding are still undergoing the rulemaking process and are not yet legally binding. Kennedy has dismissed the legal challenge, predicting the administration will prevail in court.Lift this up in prayer
