Mass. AG joins lawsuit against Trump policy on gender-affirming care
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell has joined a multistate lawsuit challenging a Trump administration declaration that could restrict access to gender-affirming care for young people.
Massachusetts is among 19 states and Washington, D.C., suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The lawsuit claims that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy falsely characterized gender-affirming care as "unsafe and ineffective."
The lawsuit, which the Attorney General's Office announced Wednesday, argues that HHS lacks authority to threaten doctors and hospitals by cutting them off from federal Medicare and Medicaid programs for providing such care.
"Health care decisions should be made by patients, families, and their providers — not by politicians making false claims about the safety of care," Campbell said in a statement. "This declaration unlawfully attempts to limit access to medically necessary and lifesaving care for trans youth and threatens access to health care for millions who rely on Medicaid. I will continue to fight back against illegal policies that harm our residents and violate their rights."
On Dec. 18, Kennedy delivered a statement that prompted the lawsuit.
"This morning, I signed a declaration," Kennedy said. "Sex-rejecting procedures are neither safe nor effective treatments for children with gender dysphoria."
According to the lawsuit, HHS proposed two rules that would exclude gender-affirming care providers and associated hospitals from participating in Medicare and Medicaid, and ban payments for transgender health care through Medicaid.
The states participating in the lawsuit say federal law requires the public be given notice and an opportunity to comment before HHS can make any substantive changes to health policy. The suit says HHS did not do that before issuing the declaration.
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