Vote NO on Today’s Gender-Affirming Care Ban

I am writing to urge you to vote NO today on any legislation that bans, restricts, defunds, or criminalizes gender-affirming health care for transgender people, particularly minors. These bills represent a dangerous federal intrusion into private medical decisions that should be made by patients, families, and licensed clinicians. Gender-affirming care is evidence-based medicine, delivered under established clinical guidelines with parental involvement and careful oversight. It is supported by every major U.S. medical association and widely recognized as essential care for many patients. A federal ban would override medical expertise, undermine parental rights, and place politicians in exam rooms. That is not limited government, and it is not freedom. Criminalizing doctors for providing medically accepted care sets a chilling precedent that should concern anyone who values medical autonomy and personal liberty. The consequences of these bans are well documented. Denying access to appropriate gender-affirming care is associated with worsened mental health outcomes, including increased rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide risk among transgender youth. Congress should not knowingly advance policies that increase suffering or place vulnerable young people in harm’s way. These votes are not about protecting children—they are about imposing ideology through government power. Families facing complex medical decisions deserve support, not punishment. Doctors should be guided by science and ethics, not fear of prosecution. This issue also extends beyond one community. If Congress can ban one form of medically accepted care today, it can do the same to others tomorrow. Allowing lawmakers to substitute politics for medical judgment threatens the integrity of health care for everyone. I urge you to oppose today’s vote on any bill that bans or restricts gender-affirming care, cuts off coverage, or criminalizes providers. Congress should protect medical freedom, respect parental authority, and keep government out of private health care decisions.