Legal Action

A coalition of U.S. states headed by the State of Washington, alongside private physicians, filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s Executive Order 14187, titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation.” The order requires that all institutions receiving federal funding cease providing gender-affirming care for patients under the age of 19. The plaintiffs in this case are either individual healthcare providers at risk of prosecution under this executive order for providing gender-affirming care, or state governments with publicly-funded hospitals providing gender affirming care as part of their treatment options. The plaintiffs argue the executive order oversteps the authority of the Executive Branch and violates transgender individuals’ Fifth Amendment Right to due process and equal protection under the law.