1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am writing to express my strong opposition to House Bill 3399, which seeks to ban gender-affirming care for transgender adults in Texas. As an estimated 0.5% of the U.S. adult population identifies as transgender, equating to around 1.3 million people, access to appropriate medical care is vital for their health and wellbeing. Gender-affirming care has been shown to dramatically improve mental health outcomes and reduce rates of suicide for transgender individuals. Denying this essential care would be a violation of the rights and dignity of transgender Texans. Medical decisions should be made between a patient and their doctor, without government interference. HB 3399 is an overreach that undermines the physician-patient relationship and the ethical principles of medicine. It disregards scientific evidence and clinical guidelines from major medical associations like the American Medical Association which have determined gender-affirming care to be medically necessary and appropriate for many transgender people. I urge you to reject this discriminatory bill that targets a vulnerable group for medically-backed care. Transgender Texans deserve the same access to healthcare as any other citizen, free from political interference. HB 3399 promotes harm, stigma, and injustice towards our transgender community members. I implore you to allow doctors to provide evidence-based care for all patients, including prescribing appropriate gender-affirming treatment when indicated, without this unethical legal barrier.