1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

Support Abdul El-Sayed's position that healthcare decisions for transgender youth belong to patients, parents, and doctors — not politicians. The Trump administration is already proving his point: it finalized a rule cutting federal Medicaid and CHIP funding for gender-affirming care, and the Justice Department has issued more than 20 subpoenas targeting hospitals and clinics that serve transgender patients. That is the government inside the examination room. The hysteria driving these policies is built on a lie. A 2024 study in JAMA Network Open examined insurance records covering nearly 23 million minors and found zero gender-affirming surgeries among children 12 and under. Among 13- and 14-year-olds, the rate was 0.1 per 100,000. The procedures that do occur are rare, individualized, and made in consultation with medical professionals — exactly the standard that should govern all healthcare. Politicians who want to override that judgment for trans kids but not for anyone else are not protecting children. They are targeting a specific group for political gain, and I expect you to say so publicly and vote accordingly.