"In Pennsylvania, two federal judges appointed by President Barack Obama are now at the center of a fight over whether the U.S. government can seize the private medical records of transgender youth. The battle, unfolding in both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, pits families and hospitals against the Department of Justice and raises fundamental questions about constitutional privacy, federal power, and the future of gender-affirming health care in the United States."
"The cases stem from a series of administrative subpoenas issued this summer as part of the Trump administration's escalating campaign against gender-affirming care. Families and their attorneys argue that the government is not attempting to root out fraud, as the DOJ claims, but to intimidate providers and chill access to care that remains legal in Pennsylvania and endorsed by every major medical association."
"On September 22, six families filed a motion to quash in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The case is before Judge Mark A. Kearney, who joined the bench in 2014. On September 24, four families brought a parallel challenge in the Western District. That case is before Judge Cathy Bissoon, who has served since 2011."
Families and hospitals in Pennsylvania have moved to block Department of Justice administrative subpoenas that seek extensive medical records of transgender youth. The subpoenas request names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, parental and guardian details, clinical notes, intake forms, consent documents, and parental authorizations for puberty blockers and hormone treatments. The DOJ presents the inquiries as fraud investigations, while families and providers say the subpoenas aim to intimidate clinicians and chill lawful care. Parallel motions to quash were filed in the Eastern and Western Districts before Judges Mark A. Kearney and Cathy Bissoon, raising privacy, federal-power, and health-care access questions.
#gender-affirming-care #medical-privacy #department-of-justice #transgender-youth #constitutional-law
Read at Advocate.com
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