Attorney General Keith Ellison, together with his counterparts from Washington and Oregon, has filed a federal lawsuit to challenge an executive order by President Donald Trump. The order seeks to terminate federal funding for medical institutions providing gender-affirming care.
The executive order also directs criminal enforcement against medical professionals and patients involved in such care. It instructs the Department of Justice to investigate states like Minnesota that have enacted laws protecting access to medically necessary health care affirming a child's identity. The lawsuit aims to prevent federal agencies from implementing this order.
"Our children deserve so much better than to be targeted, intimidated, and denied medically necessary healthcare by the President of the United States and his billionaire cronies," said Attorney General Keith Ellison. "Gender-affirming care is evidence based, provided by licensed and trained medical professionals, and provided with the consent of a young person’s parents or legal guardians."
Ellison argues that the order violates the Fifth Amendment's equal-protection guarantee by targeting transgender individuals for discrimination. He also contends that the president cannot override laws passed by Congress, which has already approved funding for research and education in all states. Furthermore, regulating or criminalizing medical practices is a state matter protected by the Tenth Amendment.
The executive order issued on January 28 calls for cutting off federal research and education grants to institutions providing gender-affirming care to minors under 19. This action could block hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to state hospitals and schools.
Providers have expressed concerns about patient safety due to these developments. One provider involved in the lawsuit stated: "I do not believe that the government should be dictating whether trained medical professionals can provide evidence based medical care to their patients... I am terrified that blocking gender-affirming care for minors will cause a mental health crisis..."
In seeking an emergency court order against this executive action, Ellison included numerous testimonies detailing harm already experienced by youth, parents, providers, and state agencies. Over 100 witnesses have contributed evidence supporting this motion.
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
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