1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to vote against two anti-transgender healthcare bills scheduled for a House vote on December 17: Rep. Dan Crenshaw's Do No Harm in Medicaid Act and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's Protect Children's Innocence Act. Crenshaw's bill would ban Medicaid from covering gender-affirming care for transgender youth, while Greene's bill would enact a nationwide felony ban on such care, explicitly defining it as mutilation. These bills prioritize political messaging over the wellbeing of vulnerable young people and their families. While neither is expected to advance in the Senate, this vote will force members of Congress to publicly stake out their positions on medically necessary healthcare. Every major medical authority, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Endocrine Society, recognizes gender-affirming care as evidence-based and life-saving treatment. Denying access to this care leads to higher rates of depression, self-harm, and suicide among transgender youth. These bills would insert government between patients, their providers, and their parents to prevent necessary medical treatment. Earlier this year, a similar provision banning Medicaid coverage for transgender people of all ages was stripped from a tax and spending bill after Democratic opposition. That demonstrates these restrictions can be defeated when legislators stand firm on protecting healthcare access. The bills use standardized language from model legislation promoted by far-right groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom and the Family Policy Alliance. They would ban puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgical care for anyone under 18, while explicitly allowing cisgender people to receive the same medications for other medical purposes. This discriminatory approach has no place in healthcare policy. I urge you to vote no on both bills on December 17 and to continue opposing any legislation that restricts access to medically necessary gender-affirming care. Our government should focus on reducing healthcare costs and expanding access, not criminalizing evidence-based treatment for transgender youth.