A federal judge in Oregon just stepped in, telling the Health Secretary that trying to ban gender-affirming care for young people was a step too far. This means a big win for 21 states that pushed back against the move.
District Court Judge Mustafa Kasubhai sided with those states, which argued the federal government couldn't just create a national rule against gender-affirming care for trans and gender-nonconforming minors. The judge said the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) guidance overstepped, violating states' rights to manage their own medical practices.
Back in December, the Health Secretary had issued a 12-page declaration, claiming his guidance "supersedes" state and national standards of care. He said gender-affirming care for minors wasn't "safe nor effective" and didn't meet "professionally recognized standards."
We're a new kind of news feed.
Regular news is designed to drain you. We're a non-profit built to restore you. Every story we publish is scored for impact, progress, and hope.
Start Your News DetoxWhy This Matters
This declaration went against major medical groups like the American Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics, which consider gender-affirming care safe and effective. HHS also tried to block medical providers from getting Medicaid and Medicare payments if they offered transition care for youth, even referring 13 institutions for investigation.
This ruling is a huge relief for health care providers and families of trans youth. As Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, put it: politicians shouldn't be telling doctors how to do their jobs or families what's best for their kids. Health care for trans people is just health care, and it needs to continue.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who was part of the lawsuit, celebrated the decision. She highlighted that this win brings clarity for patients, families, and providers, confirming that services for trans young people are still legal. The federal government can't intimidate or punish providers for offering them.
Judge Kasubhai agreed with the states, noting that the federal declaration "effectively eliminated" options for health care providers. He criticized the approach, saying it wasn't committed to the rule of law and didn't respect democratic principles.
This decision is a significant setback for federal efforts to restrict access to gender-affirming treatments like puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy for minors. In the past year, over 40 hospitals, even in states where such care is protected, had paused or stopped offering these treatments to young people. This ruling helps ensure those vital services remain accessible.
