1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to take action regarding hospitals in our state that have preemptively closed their gender-affirming care programs for transgender youth despite state law permitting this essential medical treatment. Children's Hospital of Los Angeles and Children's National Hospital in Washington DC both shuttered their gender-affirming care programs last year, citing "legal and financial risks" even though they operate in states where such care remains legal. On January 20, a federal court forced the Department of Justice to rescind its subpoenas against CHLA after seven families filed suit in November. US District Judge Julie Robin ruled in a parallel case that the DOJ's demands constituted "overreach untethered to any lawful purpose" and represented "a classic impermissible fishing expedition." The court found that the government was seeking "compliance born of fear" rather than pursuing any legitimate legal purpose. These hospitals abandoned vulnerable patients not because state law required it, but because they feared federal pressure. Meanwhile, Boston Children's Hospital refused to close its services, stating in August that it firmly believes gender-affirming care programs are vital and that "all children deserve the opportunity to live, grow, and thrive with love and support." The federal courts have now vindicated what these families knew all along: the DOJ investigation lacked probable cause and proper legal justification. Hospitals that closed their programs citing legal risks can no longer claim those risks as legitimate. They have a duty under state law to provide medically necessary care to all patients, including transgender youth. I ask you to proactively investigate which hospitals in our state have paused gender-affirming care programs, including those that may have done so quietly without formal public announcements. Contact these facilities and remind them of their legal obligations to provide care permitted under state law. These young patients and their families deserve access to the medical treatment their doctors recommend. The courts have spoken clearly, and it is time for these hospitals to resume serving all the children in their communities.