1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to vote NO on H.R. 3492 and H.R. 498, two bills that would criminalize and ban access to essential healthcare for transgender people. H.R. 3492, proposed by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, would criminalize healthcare providers who offer gender-affirming medical care to transgender people under 18, subjecting them to fines and up to 10 years in federal prison. H.R. 498, proposed by Representative Dan Crenshaw, would ban Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming care for transgender youth. These bills represent a dangerous government intrusion into the private medical decisions of families and their doctors. Gender-affirming medical care is essential and often life-saving healthcare. Major medical organizations including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Endocrine Society recognize this care as medically necessary and evidence-based treatment. Criminalizing doctors for providing this care would force families to choose between their child's health and their doctor's freedom, while banning Medicaid coverage would deny care to those who need it most. These proposals are part of an escalating series of attacks on the freedom and dignity of transgender people and their families. Politicians across the country are passing laws that criminalize and ban access to healthcare, threatening the wellbeing of an already vulnerable community. The federal government should protect access to healthcare, not restrict it based on political ideology. I urge you to vote NO on both H.R. 3492 and H.R. 498. I also ask that you publicly support the transgender community and use your power to protect healthcare access for transgender youth and adults. Medical decisions should be made by patients, their families, and their doctors, not by politicians in Washington.