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 dangerous and discriminatory bills that would cause real harm to transgender and intersex youth, their families, and the medical professionals who care for them. These bills place politicians between patients, families, and doctors by interfering in evidence based medical care that is supported by decades of research and endorsed by leading medical associations. Decisions about health care should be made by patients and licensed providers, not dictated by ideology or fear. H.R. 3492 would criminalize physicians for providing consensual, medically necessary transition related care while explicitly permitting nonconsensual surgeries on intersex infants. This approach does not protect children. It undermines medical ethics, threatens provider workforce stability, and puts young people at risk. H.R. 498 would prohibit the use of federal Medicaid funds for transition related care for adolescents. For many families, especially those facing economic hardship, this would function as a de facto ban on care that is widely recognized as necessary and often lifesaving. Medicaid was created to expand access to health care, not to restrict it based on political beliefs about sex or gender. Transition related care has been provided safely for more than forty years and has been shown to improve mental health outcomes and reduce rates of depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide. Criminalizing providers or cutting off coverage will not protect youth. It will increase harm. I urge you to stand for medical integrity, patient autonomy, and the health and dignity of all young people by voting NO on H.R. 3492 and H.R. 498. Thank you for your consideration and for your service.